Kangaroo Pouch
by bostonrainbow825
Summary: A story about Emily and JJ finally admitting their feelings for one another, includes a lot of life changes, a pregnancy, a premature birth anda huge ballon bouget. Jemily Pairing. Not situated in the current season.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers: All original property is owned by CBS and The Mark Gordon Company, and we do not infer that any characters, creations or the concept of 'Criminal Minds' are our property and the following fan fiction has been written purely for entertainment purposes only.

Pairings: Emily/JJ

Timeframe: Not current season, Emily is not working for the BAU.

Rating: T

Kangaroo Pouch: Part One

By: BostonRainbow825

Morgan moved over to JJ's desk leaning on it gently, looking down to where the profiler was looking over the file she had been asked to give her opinion on, waiting till blue eyes looked up at him inquisitively as he knew they would.

"So do you want to know what I know that you don't?" The dark skinned agent asked, turning his back to the rest of the bullpen so that JJ had to look at him specifically as her focus.

"Sure." JJ decided to humour him, clearly his mirth about whatever it was he wanted to reveal to her showing it was something she might actually want to know. "What do you know that I don't know?"

"Prentiss has left Interpol." Morgan revealed smugly folding his arms across his chest.

"What?" The sheer shock that the news made wash over JJ made it feel as if the room had gotten very hot suddenly. "Why? Is she okay?"

"No idea, I just know that Hotch called London asking for Emily's input on the Harrison case, only to be told that they couldn't help them because they didn't know where Prentiss was. She terminated her employment with them about a month ago." Derek explained what he did know with a shrug. "From what Hotch said they didn't sound overly happy about it."

"And you haven't had any contact with her in that time?" JJ put her hands flat on the desk, feeling the walls start to close in around her a little. "What if she's in trouble Morgan?"

The other agent's smugness at his bit of gossip disappeared in an instant at JJ's alternative view of the news. Pushing off from his reclined and relaxed position he turned and instead leaned his hands flat on the desk leaning closer to the blonde.

"I didn't..." He looked down at the wood grain in front of him. "I thought she'd just blown them off, gone on a vacation, spent some of that trust fund at last..." He admitted his own rose coloured view of things.

"We have to check with Garcia." JJ pushed up and knowing that Morgan would be behind her she headed straight for the technical analyst's lair, knocking and then waiting until the buzzer told them the lock had been disengaged. "Pen, have you talked to Emily in the last month?" She didn't pull any punches or even start with any lead up.

The blonde turned on her chair, her brow creasing into a frown immediately at the manner in which they had both interrupted her and their direct questioning technique.

"No." She shook her head. "I've not talked to our European Princess in about seven weeks. No, longer than that..." She turned back to her keyboard, her fingers flying over the keys for a second, bringing up a list of notes and mails, she brought up a collection that it was clear from their address were from Emily. The last mail in the list dated seven weeks and two days ago. "Why?" She turned her head back to look at the agents.

"Morgan explain, I have a number I'm going to try." JJ stepped back out of the room and took her cell phone off her belt. She quickly dialed the 'emergency' number and allowed it to ring and ring, each repetition making her body tense and her blood go colder. "Pick up Emily, please." She whispered to the phone almost willing it to happen.

The phone entered its ninth ring when almost as an answer to JJ's silent prayer the came a soft click a sign that indeed the call had been answered, though no acknowledgment of such was made.

"Take these broken wings..." JJ said the four code words and waited unable to breath to see if the proper answer came back.

"All my life." The words came back to the blonde in a soft, though obviously tired voice.

"Emily, thank god, are you okay?" JJ leaned against the wall and let the wash of relief come over her.

"I'm okay." The confirmation came back immediately. "Are you? Has something happened?" A level of obvious worry filtered into the brunette's voice.

"Hotch tried to call you, no one's heard from you in over a month, not even Garcia." JJ filled in taking a few slow breaths. "What is going on? Why did you leave Interpol?"

"Why did Hotch try to call? What's going on?" Emily expertly avoided the personal questions as if JJ had expected anything different.

"He wanted to consult with you on a case and discovered you don't work for Interpol anymore." JJ filled in. "Emily, where are you? Can you at least tell me that please?|"

"My old apartment." The reply came in a soft whisper.

"I'll be there in fifteen." JJ was surprised by this fact but in even more ways relieved by the fact that the brunette was close and not a world away. She hung up the phone and moved to give Garcia and Morgan the good news, as well as get them to cover for her.

-x-

JJ knocked loudly on the door to Emily's apartment, the one she had been sure the brunette had sold years before but it was clear now she hadn't. She shifted her weight nervously back and forth from one foot to the other, her hands deep in the pockets of her heavy cotton dress coat as she felt the familiar anticipation of seeing Emily again.

The sound of the simple door lock slipping open resounded softly in the quiet of the upscale building and the door eased open.

The raven haired beauty stood back lit by the soft light from inside her apartment, her hair long, much longer than JJ had ever seen it, flowing unimpeded over her shoulders, covering down over the soft red silk button down she was wearing well over at least three quarters of her breasts. She wasn't wearing any make up and she looked tired, soft grey shadows underlining her deep brown eyes.

The most striking and obvious difference wasn't that however it was that Emily was obviously at least five months pregnant. The soft cotton black maternity pants she was wearing hanging loosely on every part of her body apart from her swollen stomach.

"Emily..." JJ stepped into the condo, her eyes staring from the brunette's face down to her stomach and then back up again. "Why didn't you tell me?" She moved over towards the brunette with a soft smile on her face.

Opening her arms to the blonde sending her the obvious message that if she wanted, a hug was on offer, she gave a wordless shrug.

"I'm so happy for you." JJ moved quickly forward and hugged Emily as tightly as she dared.

Emily closed her arms around the blonde and took a deep breath, holding on just as tightly.

"I was going to call you."

"That's okay I needed the mini panic." JJ gave a soft laugh continuing to hold her, for the moment not wanting to let go and indulge the chance to be close to the brunette. After all the last time she'd seen the other agent had been the brief celebration after they'd saved her from Hastings, and since then she had been left with an empty feeling that always accompanied the brunette's absence. "You're safe, that's all that matters."

"I am." It was Emily who eased the two of them apart and stepped away moving through the apartment to the front room easing down into a seat motioning to the couch. "Do you have the time to sit for a while?"

"I do, we're on paperwork today." JJ explained as she moved to sit down on the cushion next to her. "You know I have an endless list of questions right now." She introduced the idea that Emily needed to give her at least a brief explanation.

"I can imagine you do." The brunette nodded with a soft smile as she seemed to study the blonde for a moment, happy it appeared to just be in the same room as her. "I hope I have the answers." She added with a small rise of her eyebrow.

"How far along are you? Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" JJ asked what to her were the two more important questions.

"Seven months, and she's a girl." Emily smoothed her hand over her stomach as she answered.

"And... who helped?" JJ asked the question tenderly reaching out to place her hand near Emily's over her round stomach.

"That's a little complicated." A frown danced on the brunette's features.

"I do complicated Em." JJ assured her and didn't ask anything further yet trying to avoid putting her foot in her mouth.

"Hardly, you are happily married to the father of your son." Emily shook her head, her frown melting as she smiled tenderly at her friend.

"How about a deal? We trade one complicated story for another." Instead of responding with her usual jovial emotions about Will, a soft frown pulled at her features.

"That sounds like a deal I could make." Emily nodded sliding her hand over the one JJ still had resting on her stomach. "Though have we both been keeping secrets?"

"Some things just don't translate well over the phone." JJ nodded gently. "So you first." She gave her a soft encouraging smile.

"Oh, we're doing it now? Don't you have to get back to work? I know you have file day but has Hotch really relaxed that much about paperwork?" Emily eyed her somewhat suspiciously.

"Tonight? I can come back, that way we have all the time we need to really talk." JJ accepted that sometimes 'time' didn't co-operate.

"I can do tonight." Emily nodded with a soft smile, gently she squeezed her hand over JJ's. "It's good to see you." She added tenderly.

"Not as good as it is to see you." JJ admitted flipping her hand to thread her fingers into Emily's and squeeze it back.

-x-

It was just after seven when JJ again arrived at Emily's door, but this time she was carrying a posh paper shopping bag, with pink tissue paper spilling out the top. She had changed after work, now dressed in much more relaxed black jeans and a tight white turtleneck, her heavy dress coat still in place as she had had it custom made for herself with hidden gun pouch and a place for extra clips that were suspended in a way no one could tell they were there unless they frisked her thoroughly.

She reached up with a breath and knocked on the door again, reaching up to run her fingers through her loose blonde hair.

The door was answered quickly to reveal that Emily had also changed, now dressed in a soft grey pair of lounge pants, with a baby pink scoop necked jersey, her long hair hung free in loose curls, her lips touched with a light coat of gloss and her long eyelashes coated with a layer of mascara that made her almost black eyes look even darker than usual.

"Hey." The brunette smiled brightly.

"Hi. For baby." JJ held out the present and was pleased when she saw the bright smile that came over the brunette's face. She followed Emily in and slipped off her coat, hanging it over one of the stools near the kitchen island inside the condo.

Emily carried the bag over to the coffee table and lifted the tissue paper out of the top, letting out a soft sigh and a louder 'awww' as she reached inside and lifted out the large white polar bear stuffed toy that was nestled inside the bag.

"JJ, it's beautiful." The brunette leaned back onto the couch setting the stuffed bear on her lap, squeezing it softly. "Thank you." She looked across at the blonde, her smile beatific. "Is this revenge for Steggie?" She asked, rubbing her finger on the soft black felt nose.

"Not revenge, but in honour of Steggie, you're going to know the joy of hunting for this bear every time she gets left behind, or lost behind the couch." JJ moved to sit down next to the brunette.

"You had to get something white didn't you." The brunette pointed out. "How much am I going to have to wash this?" She looked up from the bear to blue eyes, which she focused on as she smiled more.

"Not my problem." JJ beamed at her. "Besides girls are far cleaner than boys." She gave a soft laugh. "Or so I've heard."

"Well I guess I'll see." Emily laughed too. "Would you like something to drink?" The brunette settled the bear back into the bag gently obviously wanting to maintain its brilliant whiteness.

"Let me, I vividly remember how difficult up and down is at this point." JJ pressed up and moved towards the kitchen. "Sparkling water for you?" She guessed the brunette's usual favourite. "Oh and you can begin that explanation." She prompted with a soft smile.

"Thank you, it's in the door of the fridge, everything else is where it always used to be." Emily leaned back into the couch. "Before we get to that, what did Garcia say? I'm almost surprised you arrived alone."

"I didn't know if you wanted everyone to know yet." JJ answered honestly. "But I doubt you'll be able to keep her at bay long." She began to get the brunette some water as she put a coffee pod in the Tassimo for herself.

"I knew that when I decided to come back here." Emily admitted nodding softly as she watched the blonde in the kitchen from her place on the couch. "I'll take a trip into the bullpen when I'm ready."

"Give me a little notice, I want to get my earmuffs on to dampen her squeals." JJ smiled moving back over with the water and coffee, which Emily probably noticed she unusually took black. "So?" She prompted Emily gently.

"So." Emily took the water and watched as JJ took her seat but didn't immediately continue. "Are you sure you don't want to go first?"

"I'm sure I don't." JJ shook her head. "I know what my complicated is, I'm pretty sure I know what you'll say and it's a done deal." She sipped her coffee. "How you my dear came to be with child is a whole other story."

"Well hardly, I mean my whole thing is pretty much a done deal too considering I'm seven months pregnant wouldn't you say." Emily pointed out with a quirked eyebrow.

"I was careful how you phrased it, how you came to be with child, whole different story then just the fact that indeed you are." JJ grinned over her coffee cup.

"Sorry, yes you were." Emily conceded with a nod. "Well the short answer to your question is Grayson Fletcher." Emily twisted the top of her water and took a quick sip before replacing the top and putting the bottle back on the side table next to the couch. "And before you say anything, yes that Grayson, and yes we did break up over a year ago." The brunette countered the questions before JJ could ask them. "It wouldn't be complicated if it were as simple as we got back together and here I am now would it." She added with a simple shrug.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out, but we both know you Emily, you don't need a husband or a boyfriend to have this baby." JJ words came in a soft reassuring tone.

"Not one that doesn't stop when a woman says no." The brunette's jaw muscles flexed slightly.

"What?" JJ put down her coffee and slid closer on the couch. "Em, are you okay?" Her jaw flexed with barely controlled rage as her mind instantly flicked back to the basement with Hastings that fateful night.

"I'm Emily Prentiss, I'm fine." The brunette sat a little straighter in her place, using the cushions behind her as support.

"Don't put that mask on with me Em." JJ shook her head. "Why didn't you phone? I would have come immediately, I would have dealt with him." Her voice grew a bit darker.

"You couldn't come Jennifer, you have a world, a life that keeps you here." Emily shook her head, drawing in a breath. "What happened was mostly my fault..." She turned away from the blonde, looking down at the floor for a moment. "And I had to work it out."

"The moment you said no, nothing was your fault." JJ shook her head back firmly and then took a breath. "You nearly lost your job to come when I needed you, you thought I wouldn't drop everything for you?"

"That's not it JJ." Emily shook her head. "I wasn't kidnapped, taken hostage by a known terrorist, tortured for key codes to secret files." She shifted her eyes to look back into blue. "I... I led a guy on and paid the price." She flared her nostrils a little obviously recalling too much of the incident to be comfortable. "What could you have done?"

"I probably shouldn't answer that for fear it will incriminate me when it happens to him." JJ's voice didn't hold any hint that it was a joke. "But now that I know Em, promise me if he even sets foot this side of the ocean to cause a scene, you let me deal with him?"

"He doesn't know." Emily shook her head, moving her hand to rest on her stomach. "About Abby."

"Then it stays that way." JJ slid forward to put her hand over Emily's. "I promise you, I might not have done anything to help with this before now but I'm damn well not going to let him do anything to either of you every again."

"I'm not sure you heard me." Emily nodded as she curled her thumb over the back of JJ's hand. "Abigail and I are safe, I know that." She repeated the name of her unborn daughter softly.

"Abigail... as in..." JJ did indeed slow her reaction down as she saw the look on Emily's face and looked down at Emily's stomach. "Abigail?" She repeated the name knowing that the brunette was one of the few people who knew her middle name. "You are, you both are."

"When I first started calling her Abby, people at work thought it was me being my usual smart self, with Abby being an anagram of Baby, I didn't bother to correct them." Emily chuckled as she shook her head. "Oh I had a copy of this done for you way back when..." She turned and took an envelope off the small side table next to the couch as she spoke holding it in her free hand, visible on the front was JJ's full mailing address, the only thing missing was an international stamp. "But I knew I couldn't just send it to you, and I couldn't give you all the explanation it needed if I wasn't face to face with you." She offered it to the blonde.

JJ took the envelope and carefully opened it, taking out the glossy printed 3D sonogram photo, the visible curve of a beautiful cheek and nose clear in the HD scan.

"She's beautiful." JJ ran her fingertip over the slender nose, her eyes wide with wonder. "Really beautiful Emily." She looked at the brunette.

"I think she has my nose." Emily watched JJ more than looked at the photograph she already knew so well.

"She's a little mini you." JJ assured her comparing the two photos. "She's perfect."

"Then she can't be a mini me." Emily's face turned into a bright smile as she shook her head, her long dark curls swishing across her body with the move. "So that's my complicated." She added with a soft shrug. "The infallible, untouchable, unbreakable Agent Prentiss proved she was none of those things." Emily's smile faded and turned into a self depreciating frown. "But though I would change the how, now at least, I wouldn't change this."

"Which only proves you are even more the infallible, untouchable unbreakable Prentiss I know and love." The blonde underlined what she believed in her heart. "You turned the ugly horrible how into a beautiful, wondrous what will be." She put her hand over Emily's again. "I could never be as strong as you're being Em."

"We both know that's not true." Emily shook her head as she looked at the blonde. "You had Henry on your own, you were on your own with him for two years before Will got his shit together." The brunette reached out and gently smoothed her free hand over JJ's shoulder.

"He's gone Emily." JJ said the words with a soft resigned exhale of air.

"Just when I was about to be nice about the guy, I thought the ring missing was just because you were at work. I noticed it this evening but figured maybe you just forgot to put it back on in the excitement to get out of the door." The brunette kept her hand in place on the blonde's shoulder but dropped the timbre of her voice. "Why?" She asked the simple sounding question.

"The simple explanation, he gave me an ultimatum, give up the job, go back to being the woman he married or he was leaving." JJ looked at the photo in her hand a beat longer before turning her eyes to Emily. "I told him to get out."

"But Henry, he didn't take Henry." The tension in Emily's body visibly notched higher.

"He tried, it got ugly for a little while." JJ made the honest admission. "But in the end you know Will, he wouldn't take the boy from his Mama. I think he thought I would come to my senses more than anything, I can tell you the moment it finally sunk into him that I wasn't ever going to be that JJ again." She blew out another breath of air. "And the next day he moved back to New Orleans."

"Tell me." Emily blinked brown eyes at the blonde, sliding her hand down the blonde's arm to capture the one the blonde held on her stomach between both of hers.

"He decided to make this grand gesture, let himself into the house, I was in the shower... I pulled a gun on him Emily." JJ had to let out another slow breath. "I didn't know it was him, I just knew someone was there... I panicked I admit it."

"If you weren't expecting someone to be in the house and he wasn't supposed to have been there he should have no better than to sneak up on you." Emily shook her head at the idea that there was something 'wrong' with JJ being surprised by the situation. "JJ, you're an BAU agent who has been through significant things. He knows that, he's not stupid. He should have called out, that's all it takes." She pointed out clearly. "Relationships can survive without surprise grabs and tackle hugs, they are not the crux of true love."

"We both know that, he didn't get it." JJ shrugged softly. "Their were other things Em, after Hastings I withdrew, I know that. I started sleeping in the spare room because of the nightmares, he didn't understand how his presence made them worse when I should know he wouldn't hurt me. We stopped talking, stopped doing anything that didn't directly involve Henry."

"I'm hearing what you did wrong JJ, not what he did." Emily squeezed the blonde's hand softly. "You're being too hard on yourself." She said tenderly.

"I'm not Emily, I know it was my fault, I stopped caring." JJ made the brutally honest admission. "His sad looks, his disappointment, I didn't care about it anymore, I just tuned him out. I didn't try to explain, I didn't want to go over the same history that would never change no matter how much he wanted it too. I didn't want to explain to him that a shrink wasn't going to fix what happened in that room, what happened in Afghanistan, or what happened at work day to day. It was my life, it had to be the way it was, and since he couldn't understand, I stopped caring if he did."

"How long ago did he leave?" Emily didn't pursue the issue of blame or guilt, asking the specific question instead.

"The house about six months ago, the state about three." JJ gave a soft snort. "Henry still thinks he'll come back."

"Of course he does, he's six." Emily pointed out softly. "Henry think I lived with the Queen in London." She pointed out with a soft smile. "The team know?"

"They know he's gone, that the divorce is coming as soon as we meet the separation requirements, they don't know a lot of the details. Well no, I think Hotch understands, he's been there." JJ acknowledged. "But you know the team, they take the skeleton, enough to understand what they themselves can fill in and don't press for more out of respect."

"They always were the best for that." Emily nodded her agreement to the blonde's statement. "I'm sorry JJ. I wanted you to be happy, to have a family with Will, if it was the right thing for you." The brunette said earnestly.

"Thank you but it's okay, I know you couldn't stand him." JJ actually smiled at her.

"Well there's a compartment apparently I didn't do well with." Emily arched her eyebrow at her friend. "My impartiality needs work."

"No, blame Penn, in one of her emotional flaps about it she blurted out that you had been right from the start, he was bad news." JJ continued to smile at the brunette.

"Ah." Emily made the small noise of understanding. "In my defense I was only mildly tempted to let him get blown up by the vest bomb in the train station." She added with a smirk.

"You couldn't have handled the black mark on your bomb diffusing skill book." JJ gave a soft laugh. "You're staying though right? Here from now on? No more running to strange countries?"

"England isn't exactly strange." Emily pointed out with a smile but shook her head. "I want Abby to be born here." She made the point clearly. "I haven't really thought about what comes next." She admitted shaking her head.

"We'll figure that out as we go, I don't have a clue really either." JJ made the soft admission. "I missed you Emily." She added in a nearly silent whisper.

The dark haired older woman nodded in agreement.

"I missed you too." She agreed with the sentiment easily. "Interpol wasn't the BAU." She made the revelation with a shake of her head.

"How could it be? Your analyst didn't bake cupcakes every Monday did she?" JJ leaned into the couch beside Emily with a smile.

"WE didn't even have a media liaison officer." Emily breathed out a sigh of relaxation as she let the comfort of being with JJ soak into her being. "Let alone the prettiest one in the state."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." The blonde blushed a little massaging her hand a little against Emily's stomach.

"Hey you're a profiler now, you get paid the big bucks and carry the big gun." Emily teased knocking her knee gently into the blonde's. "Don't say things like that, Abby and I will expect presents." She laughed.

"Don't worry, they'll be presents." JJ assured her. "Do you still have a weak spot for doughnuts?"

"Do you know since about month three I can't eat them?" Emily rolled her eyes with a sigh. "I'm still addicted to the smell, but if I eat them..." She made a face and shook her head.

"So what does mini you crave then?" JJ prompted for ideas.

"She likes ice cream, fried bananas..." Emily began the odd list. "Oh, Belgian waffles." The named food was followed by a groan of pleasure from the brunette and an eye roll.

"So sugar, she likes sugar." JJ grinned. "I can get sugar presents."

"It is so good to see you." Emily literally stared at the blonde for a moment, at her expression of fun and happiness at hearing Emily's food craving preferences. "It makes me remember how a look used to be enough sometimes to get me through a tough day, or to pull my boot laces a little tighter and get the job done."

"Just meeting eyes for a minute during a hard debrief could make me focus on the fact we were trying to help not the fact that we'd already failed however many victims." JJ nodded her voice softening as she looked back at Emily.

"Is the team still good? Replacement me doing a good job at bridging that gap I left?" Emily asked the question gently.

"Kate is okay, she's good, a little rough at times but she does her job." JJ gave a soft nod, feeling the intensity of the look that had been passing between them slip away.

"JJ I know this is none of my business and you can tell me it's not and I won't push..." Emily's voice softened again as she looked at the blonde. "You're not isolating yourself are you? God suddenly I'm sounding like my mother or something..." The brunette smiled brightly suddenly and rolled her eyes. "Sex, I'm talking about sex Jennifer. You need an outlet and..."

"Do you know I've known you for about ten years and that is the first time you've ever asked me about my sex life?" JJ gave a bright laugh.

Emily laughed brightly, showing her bright white teeth as she tipped her head back and shook her long, long dark hair.

"It's the hormones." She blamed easily. "And hell when you were married I figured at least he had that covered."

"I..." JJ was about to give a answer that she knew would put the other woman at ease, was going to try to just wave off her need for anything of the sort but as she looked at Emily she just couldn't. "If you were anyone else I would lie to you right now." She said sadly.

"But you can't lie to a pregnant woman because it gives them gas." Emily replied with a completely straight face.

This made Jennifer give a loud laugh of her own.

"Threaten me with making you uncomfortable all night, that's not fair." She waggled a finger at the brunette. "Okay I didn't, for along time, I was with Will once after the kidnapping, trying to prove to myself something I guess but..."

"Jenn, it's okay. You could just say Prentiss keep your pregnant ass out of my sex life." Emily slipped her hand onto the blonde's knee and gave it a soft squeeze.

"No I can't, because you're Emily." JJ shook her head looking from the brunette's hand to her face. "This is something no one from the team knows but about a month ago we were working on a case in Dallas, a real mess, I guess I just can't break old habits and I finally gave in and scratched the itch." She gave a soft sigh. "And ever since when I feel the overwhelming need I do, but nothing complicated or emotional, just sex." She clarified.

"Careful sex." Emily checked, with the slightest quirk of her eyebrow.

"Em..." JJ hesitated for a beat. "You don't have to be that careful when they're all women."

"Checking their sperm count is easier, I agree." Emily tried hard to have a slick and easy response as she brought brown eyes up to look into blue. "Girls... is that.." She gave the briefest of pauses. "New for you?"

"Yes." JJ acknowledged the fact softly. "I mean... I've had girl crushes, hasn't everyone but this is the first time in my life I've ever acted on the motivation."

"I take it Dallas was a Cop, your reference to old habits." Emily put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Yes, Ash was a detective on the case, her team was stonewalling us and it was pissing her off as much as it was us. I think she had more testosterone naturally then Will ever did." She gave a soft laugh.

Emily smiled too at the comment.

"Is she a long term possibility?" The brunette questioned gently.

"No." JJ's answer was definite. "It was one night, that's all, that's the pattern." She admitted. "Don't profile me." She pointed out with a laugh. "Even though I know you can't help it."

"I wasn't." Emily shook her head. "Okay maybe I was, I was just wondering maybe if she was the one who spurred your choice towards women, maybe she was more than a one nighter and you just didn't let it be." The brunette offered gently.

"No, she just asked at the right time I guess." The blonde gave a shrug. "I'm a little ashamed to admit it but it was probably more than a little bit because she thought I was the super agent for once."

"Hey..." Emily smirked and gave a shrug. "You probably rocked her world and her ego." The brunette winked at her friend shaking her head with a grin. "There is nothing wrong with that." She underlined clearly. "You will always be the super agent she slept with, do you know how awesome you are to her?"

"I forgot how great you were for my ego." JJ grinned at her. "But seriously, I know you understand Em, better than anyone... it's like things up here re-wired in that room."

"They maybe just got a little scrambled Jennifer." Emily shook her head softly. "What you need to stop doing is self analyzing so much and stop trying to push yourself to understand all the time. You are who and what you are." She said squeezing her hand on JJ's leg. "What you've been through shapes that yes, and I'm not saying your shouldn't talk to someone if you think its best or anything like that, what I'm saying is don't think just because you're not the person you were before it happened, that that means that this 'you' is somehow wrong, or bad." She looked at JJ tenderly. "The you that existed before the kidnapping doesn't exist anymore JJ, you can't be that woman again, be proud of who you are, a fighter, a winner."

"So can this new me tempt you and Abby into some of Washington's best waffles? I know a place that serves them 24 hours." JJ let one side of her mouth curl up into a smirk.

"I'm wearing sweats and my love me because I'm wearing baby pink sweater." Emily frowned.

"Mmmm Hmmmm perfect for the place I have in mind, you're usual business casual would probably scare them." JJ grinned. "Come on, you know you're drooling already."

-x-

"Okay so I think I've been patient and good." Garcia was waiting at JJ's desk the next morning when the blonde got in to work, a coffee and a muffin already on the desk for the blonde. "What's going on? I know you were at Emily's last night. Why did she leave London?"

"She left London because she wanted to come home." JJ gave the simple answer. "Garcia, she's going to come and see us, all will be explained."

"So she's home and staying?" The other blonde's eyes went wider still.

"Yes, she is." JJ couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Is that a smile I see on your face?" The analyst grinned and gently hipped checked her friend.

"It's not that rare Garcia." JJ hip checked her back.

"No, but it's not that common either, not that smile." Penelope pointed out. "Do you think she will come back to the BAU?"

"I don't think that's immediately in the cards, I think she needs time to adjust." JJ corrected her growing idea. "One step at a time Garcia, she's back in town, isn't that enough."

"So we should go to her?" Garcia offered enthusiastically.

"No, she's going to come for a visit, she promised that already." JJ reminded her. "But I'll get her to phone you okay?"

"Okay, but she's okay right? I mean London didn't fire her or anything?" The bubbly blonde checked fretfully.

"She's okay and she left because it was what was best for her Pen." JJ knew in her heart that she would probably be the only one to know the true reason that Emily had gotten pregnant, the brunette wouldn't want history to shadow anyone's view of the little one and inside she felt even more privileged to be in the know.

"Okay, I'll wait for her call, impatiently." Garcia summed up, pushing away from the desk. "I bought you a coffee and a muffin, you're welcome."

"Thank you Garcia, you know I love you." JJ called after her smiling at the backwards wave she got.

-x-

"You should have known I couldn't wait, wouldn't wait." Garcia fussed with making them both tea now that Emily had gotten over the slight shock of the redhead just arriving at her door. "Not after JJ came in beaming this morning, beaming!" She underlined. "Now I know why." She giggled as she looked at Emily's stomach. "You're going to love it here Abby, I'm going to show you all the cool play centres and parks."

Emily smiled shaking her head slightly.

"Penn, stop for a moment would you." The brunette made the request gently.

"Okay, sorry, am I being too me-ish?" Garcia did stop and frowned softly.

"No, I just need another hug." Emily smiled more again opening her arms slightly.

"Hugs, I love pregnant you." Garcia skipped over almost and hugged her again. "You used to hate hugs, keep the hormones."

"Abby likes them." Prentiss replied as she eased back from the enthusiastic second embrace. "She..." The brunette stopped and then suddenly reached for Garcia's hand, pressing it to her stomach in time to feel the soft push of a hand or a foot from inside. "See."

"OH MY GOD! HI!" Garcia almost exploded with excitement when she did feel the press back against her hand. "I can't wait to meet you Abigail Prentiss, you're going to know me I'll probably be in a loud colour and have glasses."

"Abigail Loretta Prentiss." Emily clarified her baby's full name. "I couldn't forget you when naming her Penelope."

"You can never leave again!" Garcia reached to hug her again quickly. "Understand me? Never."

"I don't think I will be." Emily admitted shaking her head. "I missed you all so much." The brunette held on to the third hug even if Penelope had been going to pull quickly away. "I wanted Abby to be born into this, into my family." She admitted honestly.

"You're not listening, you won't be, not you don't think." Garcia continued to hold her tightly. "We all need you Emily, even if you never come back to the BAU, the family needs you."

"Are you hitting me up for palimony on Sergio?" Emily grinned brightly and tipped her head slightly to the side.

"You betcha, do you know that little gentleman of yours has taken to wanting to eat only organic cat food?" Garcia looked over her glasses. "And that stuff ain't cheap."

"How did he ever know that 'stuff' existed Garcia?" Emily questioned back logically.

"He saw the commercial, checked the ingredients on his old cat food, realized he didn't want to eat corn by product." Garcia continued to grin. "Blame Blue Buffalo."

"He was looking for his inner lynx huh?" Emily laughed brightly at the images going through her mind of Garcia panicking at the contents of Sergio's cat chow. "Thank god you've got his back."

"He really likes these freeze dried free range buffalo treaties I found him." Garcia giggled. "They're supposed to be for dogs but he doesn't know he's not a lynx."

"Abby and I had a TV dinner for lunch and my cat had free range buffalo, I think I eat more corn by product than my ex-pet." Emily rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"WHAT?" Garcia's eyes went wide. "You ate a TV dinner? Do you have any idea how much sodium is in one of those? How much chemicals they use to preserve it? Oh no no no, no more TV dinner's, what else evil is in this fridge?" She turned to begin inspecting for 'unacceptable items. "Spray cheese?" She pulled out the can. "If you tell me you've eaten this I'm going to faint."

"Look the fresh seal is still on it." Emily pointed to the can. "I just saw it and Abby was intrigued."

"And if Abby got intrigued with the idea of eating hand sanitizer, you're going to go with the crowd off that bridge too?" Garcia chastised her playfully.

"Oh God don't look in the freezer, you're not going to think pizza pockets, or microwave 'stuffers' are food." Emily shook her head with a wince.

"I am going shopping for you, nothing but organic fruits and veggies, hormone free meat and nothing and I mean nothing pre-frozen." Garcia put down the ultimatum.

"Are you moving into my spare room to cook all this wondrous organic fresh food for me, or does it come with it's own chef?" The brunette teased with a grin.

"I will cook if you like." Garcia grinned back. "Anything to keep you both healthy and here with us." She underlined and then seemed to calm a bit even for Penelope. "Really Emily, it's good you came home, especially for Abby but... do you have spidey sense or something even more while pregnant?"

"Are you talking about JJ?" Emily's voice softened too as the heavily pregnant woman leaned back slightly against the breakfast island.

"You've seen her, don't tell me you didn't notice how different she is." Garcia's voice was almost shy as if she was saying something secret, something she'd agreed with herself or someone like Morgan they wouldn't point out deliberately.

"She's lost a little weight, or at least turned it into muscle, trimmed up..." Emily listed the obvious physical differences that she had noticed. "But that's not what you're asking."

"Turn on your profiler brain Emily." Garcia urged her.

"We promised each other a long time ago Penn that we wouldn't do that." Emily shook her head. "Jenn's been through a lot in the last two years, did you think she could face that and be the same? Was I the same after Doyle?"

"That's what's worrying me Emily, what did you do after Doyle?" Garcia put forward her own evidence. "And it's not that I don't think everything will have effected her, but... did she tell you about Will?" She winced slightly.

"Yes." Emily nodded softly. "And I didn't have a choice about what happened after Doyle Garcia, I was shipped out and..." She stopped and refocused. "JJ isn't me, what happened to us wasn't the same and she would never leave you." She underlined the base fact she believed with all of her heart. "Now do I think she's in trouble, yes, yes I do, she's trying to face things about herself, what's happened, how she feels, and is getting no where because she doesn't have answers. Do I think it's serious..." The brunette paused. "I don't know enough to know the answer to that."

"Is it wrong that I feel a little better knowing your here now to look after her too?" Garcia made the soft admission.

"I would do anything for JJ, anything." Emily underlined softly. "You over anyone knows that Penn." The brunette's voice was softer still. "Somethings haven't changed."

"That's why you being here makes me feel better, I keep trying but she doesn't trust me like she does you." Garcia nodded that she did indeed understand the lengths that Emily would go through. "Today was the first day I've seen her smile for no reason, well smile mostly... in two weeks."

"How's Henry? Do you see him regularly?" Emily checked with the analyst.

"I do, he's okay, confused, but then again divorce is confusing to children." Garcia frowned. "JJ doesn't let him see any of the bad stuff she's going through, protects him like she always has. I babysit usually if we're not on case when she needs space."

"We'll get her through." Emily assured her friend with a soft smile. "It's what families do."

-x-


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers: All original property is owned by CBS and The Mark Gordon Company, and we do not infer that any characters, creations or the concept of 'Criminal Minds' are our property and the following fan fiction has been written purely for entertainment purposes only.

Pairings: Emily/JJ

Timeframe: Not current season, Emily is not working for the BAU.

Rating: T

Kangaroo Pouch: Part Two

By: BostonRainbow825

It was 7:30 that evening that Emily stood in front of the soft blue front door to JJ's house looking in at the soft lights beyond the windows with an odd sense of old time familiarity settling into her body. Steeling herself a little courage she raised her hand and knocked on the solid wood loudly.

When JJ opened the door smiling, having seen it was Emily through the spy glass, she was dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a baggy t shirt.

"Hey pregnant lady, how are you doing? Come in." JJ encouraged her stepping out of the way.

"I took a chance you still liked coffee delivery for no reason at all." Emily produced a large coffee from behind her back and held it out as she crossed the threshold into the house. "I possibly would have brought a more extravagant gift but carrying large objects is a no no right now." She smiled as she unbuttoned her coat.

"I still like coffee delivery." JJ agreed putting it down only so she could help slip the coat off Emily's shoulders. "Henry's over at a neighbours playing video games with a friend, but he'll be home in a half hour. Do you want me to call him to come back early for you? Though I warn you he'll probably just spend all his time telling you about which of his little characters are the best for what type of challenges on the game." She gave a soft laugh.

"It's fine, let him play." Emily shook her head. "I really did just drop by to say hi, give you coffee and see you." Emily admitted honestly.

"Come into the living room, you can sit and put your feet up." JJ picked up her coffee again and led the brunette into the more comfortable area. "You know you shouldn't have had to get pregnant for us to be able to see you look good in baby pink." She grinned at the brunette.

"It's ridiculous that suddenly I own at least four tops in this shade." Emily lightly fingered the soft brushed cotton top she was wearing as she sat down. "I have this preconceived notion that it makes me look softer, more motherly." She laughed at herself.

"Little secret, the belly makes you look more motherly." JJ laughed lightly. "The pink just brings out the colour in your cheeks."

"I tried pastel yellow and just looked jaundiced." Emily laughed with the blonde. "So I hate to ask but just how unbearable was Garcia when she got back to the bullpen?"

"Just so you know, UNBEARABLE." JJ pointed out. "She gave me a two minute dressing down for not telling her, everyone knows but I knew you guessed that already."

"I gave her permission to tell everyone, I'm only this late because I just finished the round of congratulatory phone calls."

"You could have warned her I had a ultrasound picture. She made copies for everyone, even Kate." JJ laughed and shook her head. "She was gracious and thanked Pen."

"That's... terrible actually." Emily laughed harder. "The poor woman."

"No, it was funny, like I said Kate rolls with our strangeness when necessary." JJ reassured her. "Be warned though, Rossi is acting like proud Grandpa."

"We have a dinner date Saturday." Emily nodded. "He wants full details on how the pregnancy has gone so far." She rolled her eyes. "And asked if I was have a cast made for my mother, he knows a great sculptor apparently."

"Leave it to Rossi to come up with the one thing none of us would think of." JJ admitted. "He has his copy of the ultrasound in his wallet, I saw him put it there."

Emily rolled her eyes again and leaned back into the couch.

"Hotch said that you're likely to be leaving tomorrow on a case." The brunette lost a little of her joviality.

"Yeah, the original team has hit a roadblock and Director Milligan wants us to reevaluate things as this unsub is getting bolder and more out of hand." JJ nodded sipping her coffee. "Bureaucracy is holding up us just getting on it."

"He was apologizing to me in case I was planning to come in, I think it was a hint."

"So you remember how Hotch works then?" JJ grinned at her.

"The only one quiet about the whole thing is Reid." Emily's voice dampened again a little. "Is he okay?" She checked. "I mean he wasn't unhappy for me just..." She paused. "Reticent."

"I think he's worried that if he gets too attached again you're going to die or disappear." JJ spoke with a soft honesty. "You know what he's like, that and he got along great with Blake, her leaving hit him hard and brought old worries to the surface."

"God we need to find him a good woman, or man." She grinned for a second at the blonde. "Anyone." She laughed. "Do you think he would bond with a dog?"

"You know I wondered that, one of those service type dogs, the ones trained to be attuned to people." JJ nodded her agreement.

"Hmmm." Prentiss made a noise of contemplation before being interrupted by the door as it flung open, banging noisily off its rubber safety stop.

"HI MOM!" Henry's loud voice announced his early arrival. "I'm HOME early!" His words backed up the obvious. "WHO'S COME TOVISIT?" The sound of shoes being kicked off and a rustle from a coat being shrugged off and dumped in the hallway.

"Why don't you stop screaming and come see?" JJ called back in a slightly less ridiculously loud tone and smiled when the young boy came racing in and then seemed to stop surprised by who it was.

"Aunt Emy!" His excitement was immediate as he rushed over to her. Planting his feet well before the edge of the couch the little blonde bombshell made a flying leap at the couch.

"Whoa champ." JJ had almost expected this and managed to pluck him out of the air. "You have to be careful, Aunt Emy has something to surprise you with." She held it almost like a over sized football and shifted him to sit on the couch so he could see the change in Emily's body.

Baby blue eyes widened as Henry looked at Emily and before the brunette could actually say anything Henry looked at his mother.

"Aunt Emy's having a baby?" The words came out of the boys mouth in a whisper that was as quite as his shouts had been loud.

"Yes, she is Henry." JJ confirmed it for him. "But you don't have to whisper, just don't yell."

"But I don't want to wake it up." Henry shook his head and looked back at Emily who was smiling brightly at the young boys innocence.

"It's fine Henry, Abby's fine." The brunette clarified.

"Abby?" Henry frowned sharing a confused look between Emily and his mother. "Baby is called Abby?" He pointed at Emily's stomach, to which Emily nodded. "It's a girl?" The scrunched up nose became more scrunched into a look of almost disappointment. "Why?"

"Well she just is." Emily offered the best and indeed only explanation she could think of.

"But I wanted to play with it." Henry pouted and looked at his mother. "Can't you make it a boy Mom?"

"No, that is not one of my Mom powers." JJ shook her head. "And you can still play with Abby, think of all the things you can teach her that she won't know about." She encouraged him.

"But I don't know about flowers or ponies." He shook his head still frowning.

"That's okay, you can teach her about video games and transformers and why Iron Man is better than Superman." JJ assured him more.

"I don't know anything about flowers either." Emily added shaking her head. "She's going to have to learn that from Uncle Derek." This statement made JJ snort and Henry start to giggle as he leaned into Emily's leg.

"Uncle Derek doesn't know anything about flowers." He corrected her still giggling.

-x-

"Tired yet? Enjoy her in there, out here they are exhausting." JJ pulled the last dish out of the dishwasher and put it into the cupboard as Emily watched from the island. "I'm looking forward to when he's thirty and some one else's problem."

"Liar." Emily grinned back shaking her head. "Though I honestly don't think she will be more tiring out than in, I swear I have half the stamina I used to."

"Of course you do, you're building a human being in there." JJ smiled at her leaning on the island. "Why don't you have a rest for a bit? I still have my pregnancy pillow in the cupboard, it's great for leaning their weight on and relaxing into the couch."

"I should go home and let you go to bed to get ready for having to go away tomorrow. I was supposed to be dropping off a coffee not staying for dinner and everything." Emily shook her head.

"You think I'm going to let you drive tired?" JJ shook her head even as she spoke the words. "And it's early for adults, just humour me, have a little nap on the couch and if you feel up to driving home in an hour or so okay, if not the spare room will always be there for you Em."

"Okay." Emily gave in easily. "I will rest on the couch for a little while." She eased up and began moving back through to the lounge. "Under the proviso that you come and rest too, talk to me about frivolous things or something."

"Okay, if it gets you resting." JJ relented and began to follow her into the living room.

-x-

"Em, Em come on the bed upstairs is way more comfy." JJ tried to rouse the sleeping brunette as gently as she could be as it was getting close to midnight she knew she had to at least try as the couch was comfortable but not all night comfortable. "Short trip, I already got you some pj's."

"Huh? Uh? What?" Emily lazily rubbed a finger over her eye as she blinked it open. "Oh JJ, god? What? What time is it? Did I fall asleep? I am so sorry."

"Don't be, you obviously needed it." JJ reassured her from her crouch beside the couch. "Blame the foot rub I gave you." She smiled. "Now come on, short trip upstairs, via the bathroom cause I know you have to pee it's just a given and then into some pj's and the even comfier spare bed."

"No, Jenn it's fine, I should go." Emily made an attempt to get upright, thwarted by the comfort pillow that had falsely deluded her into forgetting about her baby and the added uneven weight it put on her body.

"Easy there." JJ kept her from rolling sideways off the couch. "It's nearly midnight, you are not driving home half asleep, don't argue with me." She outlined the plan. "It's twenty steps upstairs instead of twenty minutes or more in the car, do the math?"

"Damn you smart assed profiler." Emily smiled. "If I wasn't the size of a whale I could slip out of here in a flash and you couldn't catch me."

"You're only a small pilot whale yet." JJ teased her moving the pillow and then offering her arm to help Emily get upright. "You could still try but you'd fail."

"Did you tell me all your secrets?" Emily smiled softly at the blonde as she pushed up off the couch having successfully sat up and felt centered enough to try.

"While you were asleep? Of course." JJ smiled back at her.

"Lucky me." The brunette looked at the blonde before leaning in and pulling her into a soft hug. "Thank you for tonight, for making me feel like it was normal, like it was okay to just happen."

"It was Emily, you can just show up anytime." JJ hugged her back and reassured her. "Really, I expect this to happen a lot now that you're back."

"Well I refuse to be come needy but..." She leaned back and smiled into blue eyes. "You give a mean foot rub."

"Those too are on offer whenever you need them." JJ slipped her arm into Emily's. "Lets get you ready for bed Mama."

"I hope those pj's are whale sized."

"XS, I want to see how big you really have gotten." JJ teased lightly leading her up the stairs.

-x-

"For God Sake don't they realize they're hurting this case more than helping it by doing this." Morgan made JJ jump as he slammed the door to the small office in the police station behind him as he paced in. The tall agent's hands were balled into tight fists as he paced over to one of the desks that had been crammed into the small space and leaned on it pensively.

"They don't understand feeding into the unsub's desire to cause public panic and terror is exactly what we don't want to do." JJ agreed with him. "But what's done is done, we have to be ready for his next move."

"How can we be ready for his next move if they aren't listening to a thing we are telling them?" Derek scowled. "Four days JJ, we've been here four days and for three of them we weren't allowed out of this damn room."

"Maybe it's time we stopped doing this their way then?" JJ looked at him seriously. "We give Hotch the heads up and we just go do our own investigation, we know they're too busy trying to cover up their mistakes to actually do anything to help us right now, let's just pretend they're not on our side at all."

Morgan raised his head slowly, his eyes narrowing as he tuned into what the blonde might be suggesting, a look of understanding and agreement pulling at his features as a knock at the door pulled both of their attentions away from each other.

"Agent Jareau?" A uniformed officer inquired as the door was pushed open slightly.

"Yes?" JJ turned on her heel and looked at him.

"There's a call for you from Washington, line three."

"Thank you." JJ moved to the phone and picked it up hitting line three. "SSA Jareau." She said professionally.

"Hello? Forgive me for asking is this Jennifer Abigail Jareau?" The male voice on the other end of the line inquired just as professionally.

"Yes, who am I talking too?" Jennifer felt an uneasy feeling come over her as he used her full name.

"Agent Jareau my name is Doctor Monkton, I'm an emergency physician at Washington Memorial."

"Doctor..." Jennifer had to reach to put her hand on the table. "Henry?... Emily?" The two names slipped out as Morgan stopped to watch her seeing the colour drain out of her face.

"Emily was brought into the Memorial at 3:20 this afternoon Agent Jareau." The doctor's voice was even and calm.

"Oh God the baby, are they both alright?" Jennifer pushed for information.

At the words Morgan was around the side of the table, pushing a roller chair to her side and moving to get a plastic cup and some water.

"Both are stable at this time, Emily asked us to contact you." The doctor gave over the smallest details.

"What happened?" Jennifer at down almost blindly into it.

"Emily began bleeding..." Dr. Monkton began.

"Has it stopped?" JJ cut him off.

"We've stabilized the situation for the moment. Decisions haven't been made about the next steps." He replied succinctly.

"I'm on my way, it'll take me at least 3 hours, let me give you my direct number." JJ waited until he said he had a pen and rattled off her cell. "Please, tell her I'm coming."

"Of course Agent Jareau." With a soft click the call end.

"What the hell?" Morgan asked as soon as JJ dropped the phone back onto the desk top.

"Emily... she started bleeding, she's been rushed to Washington Memorial... her and the baby are stabilized but... I think the doctor's afraid she's going to lose Abby Morgan, he said decisions have to be made about next steps." JJ felt like the room had suddenly gotten very small. "I have to go, tell Hotch I'm sorry, explain... he has to understand..." She moved to the desk to pick up her coat.

"Wait, wait..." Morgan moved to shadow her lightly putting his hands on her shoulders. "Of course you have to go, Hotch won't say no, but you'll take the jet..." He glanced over his shoulder to the door. "Come on, we'll go find him together. It's okay we'll get you home."

-x-

By the time JJ was able to find out where Emily was, she was out of breath from literally running down the hallway to the room. Pressing inside she wasn't at all comforted by the number of monitors and machines near the brunette's bedside.

"Em... I'm here." JJ moved straight over to the bed.

The brunette's eyes were red rimmed and puffy, her face waxen and pale as she slipped her hand out from beneath the white sheet reaching out towards the moving blonde.

"What are you doing here? He was just supposed to call you." Her voice was weak and exhausted.

"He did, do you think I was going to find out you were in here and not come racing back?" JJ shook her head as she spoke, taking Emily's hand tightly in her own, stroking the back of it with the other. "How are you doing? How is Abby?"

"You tell me that monitor's all hers." Emily motioned slightly with her head to the lowest of two similar looking monitors off to the brunette's right hand side that clearly registered heart rate and vital signs.

"Strong and steady, just like her mother." JJ reassured her stroking still with her hand. "What happened Emily?" She asked softly sitting on the edge of the bed to pull the hand into her lap to cradle it.

"I woke up this morning not feeling so good, a little dizzy, a strange sort of side cramp. By lunch I was positively crappy but I had the baby shower list to drop off at The Baby Place so I did that and remember asking the sales assistant there if she could help me to the car because I really felt dizzy, and then I was in an ambulance."

"You never were good at listening to your body." JJ smiled softly at her. "But it's okay now, you're exactly where you need to be. Has the doctor been in recently?" She questioned not sure if Emily was even aware what 'decisions' he had alluded to on the phone.

"No." She shook her head. "I was basically sorted out and put in here and told to lie still and be good." The brunette licked her lips with an uneven frown. "Dr. Monkton assured me he would come and talk when he had more to tell me and when there were things to talk about. Which I am hoping is doctor code for letting me go."

"Don't count on it, baby doctor's are notoriously known to error on the side of keep you in." JJ tried to reassure her lightheartedly. "How about I try to go shake some information out of someone and find out what I can so we both can know exactly what is going on?" She asked gently wanting to make sure that Emily didn't mind her interfering.

"You don't have to do that." Emily shook her head, but the look in her eyes said the exact opposite.

"You need to know what is going on in order to have a hope of resting." JJ reassured her. "Just close your eyes again and I'll be back before you know it." She leaned down and kissed Emily's forehead before moving out to the nurses station, pleased when they immediately paged Dr. Monkton for her.

-x-

Dr. Monkton turned out to be a very average middle aged guy with a soft spoken manner and a genuine air of concern about him, it took him less than ten minutes to respond to the page, which considering the nature of the unit Emily was on didn't seem ridiculous and as soon as JJ introduced herself, he recalled who she was and directed her gently to the privacy of a small consultation room.

"Agent Jareau. How can I help?" He asked stopping the door from slamming closed behind him.

"Emily, I need to know exactly what is going on with her and the baby." JJ looked at him nervously. "What decisions need to be made?" She prompted him from the phone call.

Dr. Monkton nodded slightly and then directed JJ over to sit down on a near by chair.

"Emily has suffered what is known as a placental abruption." He began looking at JJ for any signs of understanding from her.

"How badly did it come loose from the wall of her uterus? Is Abby still getting proper blood supply and oxygen?" JJ immediately fretted.

"We have assessed that at the moment the baby has adequate blood supply and oxygen however..." The doctor took a breath. "What we haven't yet been able to establish is the full extent of the bleeding." He confided in the blonde. "As you may know in cases like this the blood from the bleed can pool behind the placenta between it and the uterus, not leak out of the body, forming a clot, which then can cause secondary problems. Miss. Prentiss' blood tests, her hemoglobin, iron and platelet count are a cause for concern."

"So what are you doing to assess the extent of the blood pooling inside?" JJ pressed him on the issue.

"Well there are limitations to what we can do, obviously x-rays and scans aren't advisable, we have an ultrasound booked." He outlined the plan. "We are carefully monitoring Emily's blood oxygen and her blood pressure and are carefully considering our options for what happens next."

"But you are prepared to induce labour if Abby shows any signs of distress?" JJ wanted to be sure she understood the situation.

"Our concern is for both mother and baby, a placental bleed can be potentially fatal to either party." Dr. Monkton explained. "Left to bleed uncontrolled, pooling without monitoring or measurement, Emily could potentially loose a liter or more of blood an hour, the standard transfer rate of the umbilical cord."

"So get her into ultrasound and get pictures of this bleed." JJ stared at him with fiery eyes. "Abby is just over seven months, well within the premature success ratio time frame, I know it's not optimal but I want this bleed assessed so that decision can be made before you risk either of them further." She curled her fingers into her palm. "This probably isn't fair of me to point out but this is Washington, and you might not be familiar with the name Prentiss, but I can assure you her mother, Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss, is friends with the President and if her granddaughter dies because someone couldn't get the ultrasound technician back from lunch, you will all wish you never worked in this city."

"I'll check on the availability of the room myself right now." Dr. Monkton gave a swift nod and slipped backwards out of the room.

JJ took a breath and followed Dr. Monkton as far as the door and then down the hallway back to Emily's room, only to discover, with mild horror, the bed empty.

"Emily?" JJ was about to turn and race into the hall to find out where the brunette must have been rushed but then she noticed the bathroom light was on. "Emily, are you in this toilet?" She pushed open the door. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Peeing?" Emily pushed open the door leaning on the open frame weakly.

"No, no you call a nurse, they bring you a bedpan." JJ moved in to support her. "You can't get out of bed right now, are you trying to give me another heart attack?"

"No." Emily shook head, shuffling forward a little stumbling as she did.

"Just focus on small steps, we're getting you back to bed." JJ almost took all of her weight, as much as she dared without putting pressure anywhere near Emily's lower body. Once she had the brunette safely into bed, even lifting up her legs to slide them up onto the mattress, she didn't dare say another word until she had all the monitors hooked back up and turned back on. "These don't come off, you don't press buttons, understand me Prentiss?" Her voice was stern.

Emily looked sheepishly at the blonde and nodded.

"I didn't flush." She pointed out that JJ had interrupted her.

"You are impossible sometimes." JJ stalked back into the bathroom and had to grab the wall when she saw that the toilet water was a deep shade of dark red. Taking a steadying breath she moved back into the room and trying to not let Emily noticed she hit the nurse call button. "Em, I need to check something okay?" She stopped the brunette who was trying to settle the blankets around herself.

"Okay." Emily looked at little puzzled as she nodded at her friend.

JJ lifted up the blanket and then the bottom of Emily's hospital gown, seeing the slight stain on the bedclothes.

"You need to stay really still and trust me okay, can you do that Emily?" JJ moved to fold the blankets down. The buzzer went off from the nurses station as a voice asked what she needed. "I need a nurse in her immediately, Emily is bleeding again." She said the words in clear urgent tone, hating the fact she had too in order to alert the staff to the level of emergency when she saw dark eyes widen. "I'm not leaving your side Em, it's going to be okay." She assured her.

The sound of running in the hallway was followed by the arrival of three nurses at the door, which pulled Emily's wide eyes away from JJ's for a second, her hand moving to wrap around the safety bar at the side of the bed.

"JJ?" her breathing shifted to fast shallow breaths as two of the nurses split off to examine monitors and the third pulled on some gloves.

"Miss did you call the alarm?" She asked off JJ.

"Yes, the toilet, the bed... I just spoke with Dr. Monkton, he needs to be brought in here..." JJ made things very clear as she reached to put her hand on Emily's forehead. "It's going to be okay, I just need you to try to be as relaxed as you can and breath Em, please."

"Okay Emily, I need to lie back for me." The gloved nurse spoke directly to the brunette as one of her companions slipped into the bathroom obviously to check on JJ's words before slipping straight out of the room and down the hallway.

-x-

"I'm afraid this is where you have to leave Agent Jareau." Dr Monkton stepped directly in front of the blonde as Emily was hurried through the double doors into surgery 103.

"No, I have to be in there, I have to help her stay calm." JJ met his defiance with her own firm words.

"We will inform you of the out come of your colleagues surgery as soon as we have news, but only direct next of kin are allowed in this extreme situation." He continued to shake his head. "We will just fully sedate her if necessary."

JJ knew her profiler brain snapped into knowing what to say before she could even second guess herself.

"I am next of kin, do you think I flew in from Ohio because I work with her? She's my girlfriend you moron, that's my baby!" JJ stressed the point with rather hysterical flailing of her arms.

"Jackie! Get Agent Jareau scrubbed and prepped and into 103." He called the order to his colleague and then turned back to JJ. "I apologize Jennifer, Emily failed to tell us." He offered softly.

"It's fine, just look after her." JJ began to race down to a doorway that the surgical nurse was pointing at.

-x-

"She's so... tiny." Garcia was stood looking through the large window of the special care baby unit to the isolation incubator that safely cradled Abigail Loretta Prentiss and bit her lip. "Are you sure they won't notice if I just slip in." She glanced at JJ who was stood erect beside her, her blue eyes staring unblinkingly in through the same pane of glass.

"Yes, you'd need more than your smart phone to get past the security door." JJ didn't turn her eyes to look at Garcia. "And she is tiny but look at that shock of black hair, she is so mini Emily."

"Hey I'm not talking to you, you've held her." Garcia poked the blonde and then smiled lovingly at her.

"It might have been five seconds before they whisked her into that thing but yes be jealous." JJ did turn to smile at her. "Are you okay keeping an eye on her while I go check on Emily? They said she should be coming around soon."

"Go, look after new mom, I don't plan on moving an inch." Garcia shook her head. "I have new baby cards to make. How Prentiss of her is it to have arrived BEFORE her baby shower?"

"Totally Prentiss." JJ confirmed giving Garcia a one armed squeeze before she made her way back down the hallway into another arm and into Emily's room.

She slipped to the side of the bed into the chair she'd left when Garcia arrived and slipped her hand around Emily's again.

"Anytime you want to open those big brown eyes of yours would be nice Em." She urged softly, trying to reassure herself that as the doctor had explained the combination of sedatives and pain killers they had given Emily coupled with the extreme physical strain could mean she'd be asleep for a few hours yet.

"I don't know if I want to wake up." The brunette's voice was a whisper and brown eyes didn't open.

"Trust me you do, the sooner you're conscious the sooner I can wheel you down the hall to see the most beautiful girl in the world." JJ squeezed the brunette's hand.

"She's... she's okay?" Brown eyes filled with tears blinked open.

"She's premature but just fine." JJ moved up closer so they weren't so far apart. "She's in an incubator which is why I can't bring her to you but... Emily she's gorgeous, perfect... she does have your nose and your hair." She grinned widely.

"But I thought..." Emily shook her head for a moment and closed her eyes again, her tears spilling down her cheeks. "She's okay." She squeaked.

"You were supposed to trust me remember? I was there the whole time, even after they had to put you out." JJ filled her in. "It was a blessing in disguise that you're too proud to pee in a bedpan, if the bleeding had of continued it could have hurt both of you, but it didn't. She's got five tiny little fingers, and five tiny little toes on each hand and foot and she's a perfect 4 pounds 8 ounces."

"How... how were you there?" Emily looked into blue eyes. "I know you were, I remember but..."

"I may have told a small fib to the doctor." JJ gave her a sheepish grin. "I may have told him we were together, as in girlfriends and Abby was mine too."

Emily blinked the tears from her eyes and looked at JJ shaking her head as her lips curled into a smile.

"I bet that wasn't such a hard sell, I'd been calling her Abby since I'd come through the door. If they knew your name..."

"He didn't take much convincing at all, as I pointed out would I fly in from Ohio in a private jet for a colleague?" JJ raised an eyebrow. "I hope you don't mind, I just knew I had to be in there with you both."

"How could I mind?" Emily shook her head. "So you've seen her..." She stopped, her eyes widening for just a second. "Wait, have you held her?" Her slim smile turning into a broader one.

"Just for a few seconds before they put her in the incubator." JJ nodded her own blue eyes growing wet with happy tears. "I cut the cord."

"Wow, Daddy, or do you prefer Papa?" Emily laughed, stopping as pain laced through her body.

"No Daddy is fine." Jennifer grinned back at her. "But easy on the laughter you, you've been through a lot." She reached up and stroked her hand over dark hair.

"So have you." Emily countered. "For a mother to be who didn't know about it until oh, an hour or so ago." The brunette shook her head against the pillow. "Though where are my flowers? Shouldn't I have a huge bouquet? And a balloon, I just had your baby damn it."

"Before the end of the day you will have both darling." JJ grinned at her. "Garcia is drooling on the glass partition already, don't expect much from her now that there's a baby you."

"Let's go and tease her by being able to get closer than her." Emily gave an evil smile.

"Yes Mommy." JJ smiled back at her. "Let me get the nurse to get us a wheelchair."

-x-

"What are you thinking?" Garcia came and leaned against the wall next to JJ as the blonde stared through the glass partition to where Emily was leaned over her daughter's incubator, softly singing a Spanish lullaby to the preemie, her finger stroking over a tiny hand as she did so.

"Just about how perfect they look, how this is everything Emily deserves, a beautiful daughter, the chance to be a great Mom." JJ barely glanced at Garcia before looking back at the two of them.

"How frightening was it?" The analyst asked, also turning her attention back to the two raven haired beauties.

"Terrifying, when I saw the blood on the bedclothes..." JJ let out a breath she had been holding deep in her stomach almost since that moment. "I'd just finished talking to her Doctor about how dangerous it was if she was bleeding internally, for both of them."

"How did she react to your little espionage?" Garcia smiled watching as Emily finger strayed a little more up baby Abby's arm, the brunette seeming to gather a little confidence at touching the tiny infant.

"She was fine, I think she was just glad I was in there with her so she wasn't alone, she knew I had to do something to make that happen." JJ gave a soft shrug watching and remembering how Henry had seemed small enough when he was born, but Abby was almost doll like.

"Sister didn't strike you?" Garcia planted the idea subtly.

"We don't exactly look anything alike Penn." JJ gave a gentle laugh of amusement.

"I'm pretty sure Washington's had adoption since oh about forever." The analyst pointed out.

"Touche." JJ conceded glancing at the analyst to see she was staring at her grinning. "What is that look for?"

"Just the fact you dived straight in for lover and that's my baby." Garcia shook her head innocently. "I mean I love Emily but I would have been all with the brother from another mother line." She held up her hands, "Not to mention turning away when it got gory and personal." She added with a shiver.

"There see, lover's don't turn away, sisters do." JJ backed up her own choice. "And if something had gone wrong, it explained my complete breakdown."

"Yeah, it would." Garcia nodded in agreement looking briefly at JJ before looking at Emily. "So... you think you're going to tell her?"

"Tell her what Penelope?" JJ turned sideways fully looking at the blonde.

"That the lover's thing would have explained your complete breakdown if something happened to her." Garcia cleverly reworded the blonde's own phrase.

"No, she doesn't need to know how much danger either of them were in." JJ shook her head.

"Oh Agent Jareau you got your Profiler badge but don't you dare think for one minute that you can fool me." Penelope shook her head. "You can choose to not give her a label in your head, you can choose not to give her a label in the world, but your heart's already done it." She reached over and patted her hand flat over the blonde's chest. "You think seeing that raven haired beauty coo over a tiny version of herself is going to make that go away?"

JJ looked at Garcia for a long moment, really letting the other blonde's words sink in.

"Alright all knowing all seeing Goddess of everything..." JJ licked her lips a little nervously. "What if I did? What do you think she's going to say?"

"What if you told her?" Garcia was actually momentarily taken back by the fact that JJ actually came back at her with anything other than more open denial.

"Yes, what if I told her?" She purposefully didn't say what exactly that was, but knew it was pretty clear they both understood from what Garcia had already said to her.

"I think she'd say exactly what she felt, what she thought." Garcia gave the honest reply knowing it said nothing really but at the same time everything. "What I don't think she would do is lie to you or say something just because." She stopped and for a moment moved in front of JJ blocking the blonde's view of Emily completely. "What do you think she would say?"

"Probably I'm not gay for a start." JJ gave a hard sigh.

"Irrelevant, you're not asking her if she's gay you are telling her how you feel, the two are not related." Garcia shook her head.

JJ quirked an eyebrow and looked at her best friend for a moment and then sighed.

"I don't know, I think there's the possibility I could ruin our friendship by putting pressure on her she doesn't want, and like you said she'd never lie to me but she'd also not want to break my heart." JJ pushed her hand into her pocket.

"Do you know how close she came to losing her job because of you?" Garcia said her voice low as she fixed blue eyes with her own.

"No, what are you talking about? When she came... she was disciplined for that?" JJ's face fell into confusion.

"JJ she commandeered a MOD jet, flew it without flight plan or governmental permission into US Capitol Air Space, took three days AWOL, revealed top secret information, illegally brandished and discharged a firearm, impersonated an FBI agent and when asked why, told them all 'because it was necessary'."

"I..." JJ was honestly at a loss for words. "I didn't know any of that, she never told me."

"Of course she didn't." Garcia smiled softly and shook her head again. "Just like you didn't know who covered the expenses for Will's coverage when he had the incident with Rafferty. The police health plan ain't all that and a bag of chips sweetie."

"Why didn't she tell me any of this?" JJ blinked confused eyes as her mind tried to find the right pattern to make all that she was learning make sense.

The other blonde gave a simple shrug and a smile.

"Do you remember paying your solicitor or real estate fees on your house?"

"It was in the whole mortgage, I just signed the papers." JJ for the first time purposefully stepped a half step to the side to look in where Emily was still singing to Abby.

"Colwell, is Emily's personal solicitor, he handled your mortgage, he billed her privately for his services, the real estate company who found your house, Tides & Sons, Raphe Tide, they went to Yale together, he billed her privately, you didn't pay them a cent." Garcia shook her head. "I know because she asked me to hide the trail."

"Can you make sure she gets back to her room when she's ready Pen? There's something I need to go pick up." JJ kept looking at Emily, exchanging a small wave when the brunette looked back at them ever so briefly.

"Do you understand why I told you all this Sweetpea?" Garcia fretted for a moment as JJ moved.

"Yes." JJ walked backwards for a few steps. "I need flowers, and balloons, she expects balloons." The blonde gave her a wide smile. "Thank you Pen."

"You're welcome my lovely." The other blonde beamed.

-x-


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimers: All original property is owned by CBS and The Mark Gordon Company, and we do not infer that any characters, creations or the concept of 'Criminal Minds' are our property and the following fan fiction has been written purely for entertainment purposes only.

Pairings: Emily/JJ

Rating: T

Kangaroo Pouch: Part Three

By: BostonRainbow825

"Are you awake?" JJ stuck her head around the door into Emily's private room to check.

"Yes, I'm even surprisingly comfortable, they believe in pain relief." Emily replied smiling at the somewhat disembodied head that was peaking around the door. "Is there a reason you're not actually coming in to see me?"

"I wanted to make sure you were awake, oh and I told them whatever pain number you gave them on their 1 to 10 scale add 2 to your answer, you're a liar." JJ winked at her and then disappeared for a moment. "Now first... these are for Abigail but of course I'm not allowed to bring them in to her." She carried in a large bouquet of pink roses in a vase already and put them on the table beside Emily's bed.

"She loves them." Emily's soft smile turned into a brighter on. "Not even a day old and she's getting flowers from a beautiful woman, she's going to give me trouble."

"Don't worry about that just yet." JJ smiled and dashed outside again. "I do believe you requested balloons, there would have been more but they told me there was a limit to what you could bring into the hospital." She struggled to get through the door with the enormous collection. "I flashed my badge, it does wonders to open up limits."

"JJ that's insane!" Emily propped herself up a little more laughing as the blonde struggled with the helium filled cacophony. "Is that one really shaped like a pacifier?"

"Yes, there's a stork and a baby bottle, a couple of stars, a comet, a sun..." JJ tried to point to them all placing the weight at the bottom of the strings at the end of the bed. "And..." She moved outside again and came in carrying an even bigger bouquet of red roses. "These Mommy are for you." She put them on the tray in front of Emily.

The brunette drew in a deeper breath and reached out running her hand over the ribbon at the base of the roses, before casting her eyes up to look at the blonde.

"You didn't have to do this." She shook her head ever so softly, moving her hand up to lightly trace her finger over a deep red velvety petal. "Wow there's even a card." She noted the small envelope tucked into the neatly wrapped arrangement.

"There is." There was an almost minute amount of tension in JJ's features as Emily plucked it out and carefully pulled out the small message card from inside the envelope.

'These aren't to congratulate you Em, these are to tell you I love you, J'

Emily held the card for a moment her dark eyes obviously tracing over the words several times before moving from them up to look into blue.

"You need to be careful what you say to new mothers." She licked her tongue over her bottom lip, catching her teeth on it as she spoke the words slowly, holding the card lightly between her finger and thumb. "They cry easily." She blinked rapidly and drew in a slightly shivering breath through her nose. "And they misread things."

JJ walked over to the side of the bed and sat down, pulling another card out of her back pocket and tucked it over the first one.

'I'm in love with you Emily, I have been for as long as I can remember'

"They hallucinate too." She blinked again as tears welled in her eyes. "Who knew?" She made a small noise half way between a laugh and a sob, bringing her hand up to wipe away a tear before it could fall from her eye. "Did you know?" She finally made herself look JJ in the eye again properly.

"Did I know?" JJ gave a soft confused shake of her head.

"That's a no." Emily shook her head with a soft snort of a smile. "Oh just that I've been you know, pinning away for you for the last, ten years or so." The brunette, licked her lips again and gave a quick eye roll. "Nothing big."

"So..." JJ watched every move she was making. "You understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"It would be clearer perhaps if you kissed me." Emily put the offer out there her dark eyes locked on blue.

Without another word JJ slowly moved her body forward, savouring the moment as it dragged out before blue eyes dipped closed and she let her lips press against Emily's.

Emily didn't let her own eyes close until JJ was too close to really see either and then she just let her other senses tell her all she needed to know about the blonde, as soft lips pressed against her, the blondes warmth meshed with her own, the soft scent of her skin filling her nose.

Lifting her hand from off the bed Emily lightly cupped JJ's cheek as the kiss lingered just a little while, keeping it there as they pulled apart, the brunette pressing her cheek against the other woman's face for a moment just bathing herself in the feeling of the touch.

"Is that clearer for you?" She asked, her breath warm against JJ's skin.

"Yes, you like the roses." JJ grinned at her, the hand that came to rest on Emily's arm shaking a little.

"I do, but I prefer the message that came with them." Emily pointed out moving her lips back to press against the blonde's softly.

-x-

"Agent Jareau." Dr. Monkton approached the blonde who was standing silently in the observation hall of the Special Needs Baby Unit. Emily had fallen back asleep and JJ had taken the moment to slip out and look at Abby.

"Dr. Monkton, hi, thank you." JJ turned to smile at him.

The doctor nodded in acceptance of the soft word of appreciation and then looked at the unit beyond the glass.

"Would you like to go in?" He asked softly.

"I'd love too actually." JJ admitted glancing back at the baby and the seeing that the doctor had moved to the security door she followed him.

"Do you have experience with infants?" He asked of her glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Yes..." JJ nodded. "A son, Henry, he's just over six. He was never that small though." She admitted the simple fact.

"Well Abigail is a little special, she's getting a little help with her breathing, and as you pointed out shes small." Dr. Monkton led JJ into the silent room beyond the security door moving directly over to Abby's incubator, instantly checking vitals and notes as well as the baby herself, through the unit, looking at her colour and pallor. "But with that experience, I don't see why I couldn't let you have a little cuddle, if you want that is." He offered the blonde with a soft smile.

"I won't go against Doctor's orders." JJ continued to smile and sat down on the chair right next to the incubator. "How long do you think she'll have to be in here?" She watched him begin to almost immediately start to prepare Abby to take her out.

"We'll want to be sure her lungs develop and she puts on weight, she still has some developing to do." The doctor very carefully eased the tiny baby out of the nest of wires she was in, before swapping her from the support of it into the cradle of JJ's arms.

Abby fussed a little initially at being moved, the tiny fingers of her hand stretching out in the suddenly cooler air, her little feet kicking out now that the were more free floating than they ever had been.

"Hello beautiful girl." JJ barely heard the doctor, all her senses focused on the baby.

"There are a few things I would like to discuss with you when you feel up to it Jennifer." Dr. Monkton brought up a chair and sat down.

"Sorry, I am listening." JJ glanced up from the baby and nodded to him. "I have some questions too, about Emily, her recovery, things I need to prepare at home for both of their arrivals."

"No it's quite alright. Why don't I leave you two for say ten minutes, Abby will need to go back into the incubator then, you and I can talk. I want to get Emily started on a blood transfusion, her levels are still worrying me." The doctor admitted shaking his head to her apology.

"Worrying? Do you think she's still bleeding?" JJ couldn't wait for any time to pass if there was something she should be worried about in regards to Emily or the baby.

"It's a possibility." The doctor nodded with a soft frown. "I'm going to conduct an ultrasound as the transfusion is hung. She's in the best place."

"Please, do whatever you can." JJ couldn't stop the immediately pleading tone that came into her voice. "Emily... she's been through so much, as an agent, as a woman..." She didn't know how to stress this enough to him. "Please tell her I'm with Abby but I'll be back in there with her when you've done your tests."

"Of course." Dr Monkton eased up off the chair. "If you have any concerns about Abby when I'm gone just hit the alarm some one will be here to help you immediately." He assured her.

"I'm going to take care of you both Abigail, I promise you." JJ looked down at the now settled baby as she stroked her hand over the dark hair softly.

-x-

When JJ saw dark eyes blinking open to re-orient Emily to the world, she was as relieved as she had been when she had heard Abby cry for the first time much earlier the day before.

"Hi beautiful, take it easy please." JJ moved up to smooth her hand over Emily's forehead. "They had to put you under and use a scope to repair a small tear inside your uterus wall. You're going to feel even sorer then you remember being."

"Okay I thought the painful part was having the baby." Emily groaned as every part of her,but especially everything from her diaphragm down throbbed with an indescribable pain.

"You had to be an over achiever." JJ smiled as she put her hand over Emily's. "Feel the little button in your hand, push it when you feel too much pain, and don't worry it will lock itself if you try to get too much in too short a time." She pressed the button with her thumb to introduce a small dose of the intravenous painkillers.

"What time is it? It has to be late." Emily let herself lean into the pillow.

"Just after two am." JJ explained softly. "I've been splitting my time between you and Abby, don't be jealous but I've got to feed her twice for you. I spend the whole time talking to her about you."

"You have? When I was briefly awake sometime I remember they weren't sure if she was strong enough to nurse, or whether they'd have to tube feed her." Emily frowned trying to organize her obviously confused thoughts.

"They are tube feeding her but we're giving her tiny amounts to encourage her body to tolerate eating." JJ reassured her resuming the soft stroke over Emily's head. "We never had a chance to talk about it, but I remember how adamant you were about me not giving up trying to breast feeding when I had Henry, so as soon as you're up to it we'll express some of your milk to make sure she gets all the benefits as soon as possible."

"Wow." Emily blinked at the blonde. "You've been busy." She smiled at her. "Thank you." She took a breath. "How is she? How's her breathing? How are you? Oh God did you say it was two o'clock, you need to go home."

"You know me I multitask." JJ shook her head. "She is doing great, her breathing is good, Dr. Monkton says she's going to need lots of time to continue the growing she has to catch up on but he is very positive that she is going to progress without any major hiccups. The one he's more worried about is you, he says you need to get as much rest as you can and let your body heal."

"He just has to sign my release paper and I'll get all the rest he wants." Emily assured her. "Do you think I'll be out by the morning?"

"No Em, I don't think you'll be out by the weekend in fact." JJ tried to get her to understand the reality of the situation. "Can you do me a favour and for once in your life just lie down and let other people take care of you without looking for a sliver of light to make a break towards?"

Emily smiled slightly and looked into blue eyes.

"Are you going to go home?"

"Not yet, I have too much here to look after." JJ shook her head and leaned in to kiss Emily's forehead. "Now that I have you, I'm sure as hell not just going to let you go."

"You know if it wasn't for the balloons and the roses I'd have thought I'd have dreamed the 'have me' part of that statement." A soft smile crossed the tired brunette's face. "But Jennifer, Henry." She pointed out.

"He's with his Nanny, I'd still be in Ohio if you hadn't needed me, he'll be okay with Grace until tomorrow at least." JJ reassured her. "I talked to him before bed like I always do, I'll talk to him over breakfast again." She outlined how things worked when she was away, she had it down to a fine science. "He's safe and sound, Abby is safe and sound with some of the most wonderful natal nurses I've ever met, now I just need you to promise me you'll give in and let the doctor's take care of you."

"Will they let you stay?" Emily asked shifting her hand out she reached out for JJ.

"Yeah, Dr. Monkton and I have an arrangement for tonight at least, since you're in a private room." JJ slipped her hand into Emily's immediately. "So you can get some rest and know I'm right here with you."

Brown eyes closed for a moment as JJ's smaller hand closed around her own.

"I love you." Emily's voice was quieter, as she weakly pulled JJ's hand up to her lips, grazing them against the back of it.

"I love you too Em." JJ let the words slip out surprising herself by just how easy they were to say.

-x-

Literally tip-toeing into the room Garcia made eye contact with JJ, over the sleeping form of Emily, as she carried a large tote bag in her hand and brought it to rest against the end of the bed.

"Good morning." She said in a whisper. "How are you? How's our new mom and the little princess?" The blonde put a little muffin bag down on the side cabinet as she asked. "Still zonked huh?" Garcia smiled at the sleeping brunette as she as quietly as she could moved over a chair to sit next to JJ.

"We're all good, I'm a little tired, this chair isn't a quarter as comfortable as it looks but good." JJ smiled back at her. "No more bleeding, they'll be another ultrasound before lunch but Dr. Monkton is pleased with her blood levels, they've stayed stable. Abby is... perfect."

"Well I have clean clothes, and toiletries and ohh..." She reach down and rifled in the bag pulling out the tiniest pair of socks in the word. "The hospital store sell Preemie wear." She enthused passing the tiny white and pink striped cotton socks to JJ. "Aren't they they singularly most adorable thing you have ever seen?"

"They are pretty adorable." JJ stuck the tiny sock on one finger and wiggled it smiling. "Do they have little tiny baby grows too?"

"Totally. Oh and I got this..." She delved into the bag again, pulling out a pink t-shirt with the word 'Mommy' in dark pink glitter stenciled on the front. "For our beauty."

"She's started to really like wearing pink." JJ gave her approval to the present. "Makes my balloons seem tame." She grinned looking at the arrangement the nurses had asked to put in the far corner.

"Are you kidding? Those are some grade A balloons there lovely." Garcia shook her head. "Oh and the florist called and said if you wanted more roses you'd have to wait until the extension to their shop is finished, but thanks to you that won't be long." She grinned at her friend. "Oh and while I think of it, a present for you..." She went back to the bag and pulled out a chocolate cigar wrapped in pink foil.

"My favourite kind of cigar, thank you." JJ took it and stuck it in her mouth grinning.

"Well you know Daddy, you have to celebrate too." Garcia teased softly. "Though talk about wrapping all the staff here around your little finger, how many times have you had cuddles?" The blonde nudged her knee into the smaller woman's.

"Every three hours I get to feed her a tablespoon of formula." JJ grinned brightly putting the cigar down on the bed tray. "She's so..." She let out a long happy sigh.

"Stop it, you'll make me cry." Garcia flapped her hand in front of her cheeks and shook her head turning to look at the still sleeping Emily. "She looks pale but good." She put a hand lightly on the bed clothes. "When she's well enough I'm going to be so mad at her for scaring us."

"I think she scared herself even more Pen." JJ nodded that she understood the sentiment. "Emily can logic a lot of things into boxes but losing Abby wouldn't have been one of those." She admitted the truth. "But none of that has to be worried about, both of them are going to make full recoveries, it's just going to take time and rest. Of course out of the two of them, I'm expecting less hassle from Abby."

"You got that right sweet cheeks." Garcia agreed, looking to the door as Dr. Monkton knocked lightly on it, smiling as he wandered in.

"Good morning Jennifer, Penelope." He nodded to them both. "I see Emily has yet to share her presence with us since being woken up so rudely and early for her blood." He wandered over, just checking the brunettes monitors briefly, focusing mainly on the other two women. "How's everything Jennifer?"

"Good, she's seemed much more comfortable in her sleep." JJ assessed for him. "And Abby's been feeding well." She added smiling at Garcia. "Was her tests from the morning alright?"

"They were, and I just came from the SCBU, Abby is doing well." He nodded his smile constant. "I thought perhaps now would be a good time to talk a little more about the Kangaroo Care I mentioned to you yesterday."

"Excuse me, what?" Garcia peered at him blinking behind her pink and blue glasses.

The doctor turned to her with a smile.

"As Abby get's stronger, we like to get her out of the incubator, introduce her body to world outside of a controlled environment." He looked at the analyst as he explained. "We also like to encourage the continued formation of the bond between mother and child." He went on. "Now in this case the situation is a little complicated as Emily is sick, but normally the care we are talking about would involve the mother carrying the premature infant, for fifteen minutes or so every three hours, in a specialized sling, or 'pouch'."

"But since Emily's not allowed to be carrying anything, or walking around yet..." JJ beamed at Garcia. "I get to be Kangaroo Sling Mamma."

"Oh my God are you serious?" Garcia grabbed JJ by the wrist. "That is AMAZING!" Her eyes wide she looked back at Dr, Monkton. "How does this happen? I mean is it soon? Does it..."

Dr. Monkton held up his hand.

"Abby will need to be a little stronger, but we're hoping by this afternoon Jennifer will have her out for her first time." He nodded. "You'll need a open fronted shirt Jennifer..." He turned to her. "Direct skin on skin contact from mother to baby is preferable. We advise that Abby have a little hat, just because baby loses so much heat from her head, we have those here but you might..."

"I'll get her one." Garcia literally interrupted him. "I have socks." She pushed JJ back and picked them up off the side table.

"After the therapy she can wear those." He nodded and smiled at the gregarious blonde. "Like I say Jennifer, an open fronted shirt, we'll ask you to take a shower right before the therapy session."

"No perfumes or scents, I understand." JJ nodded. "I just can't wait to hold her." She admitted to the doctor again as she had the first time he'd mentioned it. Initially she'd been reluctant, concerned that time outside the incubator would be harmful but Dr. Monkton had been very clear about the parameters and the importance of encouraging her body to strengthen itself so much so that he'd convinced her pretty easily. On top of that she knew a neo natal nurse would be with her all the time and there would still be small monitors on Abby to ensure her oxygen saturation didn't drop or anything else detrimental.

"Now as we discussed, really don't be surprised if after a few session, she gets rather..." He paused. "Animated against you, that's a good thing, we want the pouch to be her happy place, but likewise, for the first while after the therapy she's likely to be far more tired than usual."

"I understand, she's taking in a lot all at once and her system knows in a way it should still be growing in Mommy." JJ nodded that she understood. "The main thing is we do everything that will help her develop." She underlined her take on things. "And when Emily is able, she can fight me for the pouch."

"That might be a while, I don't want Emily lifting or carrying for a while, we want to avoid strain on Emily's uterus as much as we can. She carried her for seven months, you can take one." He offered the soft joke, making both women chuckle softly.

"Is there a party going on and no one bothered to wake me?" Emily asked the soft question, clearing her throat.

"No Em, we were just discussing how you put in all that hard work for the first seven months, now I get to do some of it while you recover." JJ immediately moved up to kiss the brunette's forehead. "Good morning."

"Good morning." The brunette said softer closing her eyes briefly under the kiss before looking at Garcia and the doctor. "Garcia, Doctor." She added. 

"Momma P." Garcia grinned brightly reached to wrap both of her hands around Emily's obviously trying hard to keep her gushing emotions at bay.

"Emily." Dr. Monkton gave a soft nod. "I was just giving the update to you lovely girlfriend and sister, and I will let them pass all of it on to you. Just know that everything is coming along fine and I will be in later to check on you."

"How..." Emily waited until he had left before she gave a soft laugh. "Are we going to convince him that both Hotch and Morgan are my brothers?"

"Already done, Morgan is my husband, and Hotch is his brother. Oh and Rossi is JJ's dad."

"I almost wish I hadn't asked." Emily was honest as she shook her head. "So..." She turned instead and began to push her self upright.

"No you're not, use the buttons to elevate remember?" JJ seemed to read her mine and was already using the automatic head lift adjustment button to help Emily come up into a seated position.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask." Brown eyes looked her way.

"Yes I do, the same thing you've asked every time you've woke up. You're not going home yet." JJ shook her head softly.

"Oh." Emily made the small noise and then looked at Garcia, or more specifically what was in her hand. "What are those?"

"Pre-mee socks, aren't they adorable?" The other blonde moved closer to hold them in her palms for Emily to take. "Even more adorable then you two." She seemed to brim with happiness.

"I didn't even know they made clothing this small." Emily admitted, touching the tiny sock with her finger tip as she shook her head. "Is Abby allowed to wear it?"

"After her first Kangaroo Therapy session later today, yes she is, Garcia is also getting her a tiny hat." JJ smiled at the analyst. "And no doubt half the rest of the stuff they sell."

Emily looked at JJ for a moment and gave a slightly uneven smile.

"They think she'll be strong enough today?" The words were whispered.

"Yes, it's only going to be a short one, just staying here in the unit but she's strong enough Em. She takes after her mother." JJ beamed at her lovingly.

"And you're sure." Emily's eyes were fixed on blue.

"You know what... this is my cue to go coo over Abby." Garcia backed up and hurried to the door. "I waited ten years for this, I am not being the third wheel and screwing it up." She suddenly disappeared in a flourish.

"I'm sure." JJ sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Emily. "Unless you want to wait until you're able too, but that could be a few weeks Emily and the Doctor feels it's really important for her development..."

"JJ I'm not asking because I want to be the one to do it, I'm asking because I need to know you're okay with being the one to do it." Emily cut her off. "It's a lot to ask."

"No, it's not." JJ shook her head. "Asking me to step in and help soothe her and cuddle her, walk her up and down the hall while she leans against me isn't too much of anything Em. She's little you." She reached and took the brunette's hand. "I know you probably don't believe this is all happening yet, I know there is a lot of steps we're skipping but we'll get to them, and the truth is when did we ever do things by the book anyway? There isn't a sliver of doubt in my mind that this is exactly what I want to do Emily."

"Thank you." Emily squeezed JJ's hand. "Am I allowed to come and watch?"

"I'm sure we can convince Garcia to take charge of your wheelchair." JJ nodded softly. "And if not I'll bring her to you." She reassured her more. "You look beautiful this morning." She let her voice drop to a whisper.

"Come closer." Emily dropped her voice too rubbing her free hand on the patch of bed right beside her.

JJ slid across the mattress carefully so that she was indeed settled right next to the brunette, facing her in the new upright position that Emily was in.

Turning slightly, putting a twist in her waist that her abdomen didn't appreciate Emily cupped JJ's cheek and leaned to her, kissing her lips quickly in a soft but emotion filled kiss, that lasted as long as the brunette could ignore the complaining of her stomach.

"Don't worry, when you're well, they'll be lots of that." JJ urged her to resettle into a comfortable position, reaching up to stroke the brunette's stomach ever so softly.

"I just needed my morning prescription." Emily smirked.

"Actually it's take two every hour." JJ smirked back and leaned so that Emily didn't have to move at all this time and kissed her again, slowly and expressing how in every way the brunette was so precious to her.

-x-

"So Jennifer..." Dr. Monkton smile at the blonde as he observed the natal nurse making minute adjustments to the soft pink coloured swathing harness that she had fitted against the younger woman's slender frame. "How does it feel? No rubbing or discomfort on the main straps?"

"No, it's good..." JJ nodded moving her body slightly to check and almost adding that it was like a very well fitting gun holster, one that moved with your body not against or in spite of it.

"For this first outing we're going to keep Abby on her oxygen, but there's nothing for you to worry about with that, the leads and tubes all have their places, and we use a small tank..." He produced a little air tank no bigger than a water bottle. "And it just slips into a pouch right here." He moved a little close and patted the small space on the back of the harness. "So do you feel ready to go get your precious cargo?"

"I am ready." JJ beamed at him. To be honest she wasn't half as worried as the doctor seemed to think she would be. She had a certain amount of trust now in the man and his abilities, and even other parents from the special care unit had raved about the pouch and the response they were getting from their own tiny ones. More than anything she wanted to have Abby in it so that the tiny little princess would know she wasn't anywhere near as alone as she might feel in that machine. Make it clear to all Abby's senses that she was loved and cared about even if right this moment the woman who loved her the very most was still recovering from her second surgery in less than two days. She also knew a part of her selfishly wanted this for herself, to be the one that Emily's daughter had to rely on, the one whose body temperature and heart rate Abby would come to know intrinsically.

"This way." Dr. Monkton led the blonde through the interconnecting doorway smiling gently at her.

-x-

"And here we go, entering Momma's room..." Garcia's commentary suddenly announced the door to Emily's hospital room being pushed open as the technician walked through it backwards her digital camera pointed in her slight hunch at someone that Emily couldn't see from the bed at first.

That was until Garcia backed up trying to hold the door open with one hand and the camera with the other as JJ walked in, her cadence slow and deliberate. Her button down shirt open until mid body where it was pressed open to accommodate the pink kangaroo sling. Tubes and wires were carefully threaded into closures and as the doctor had promised the small oxygen tank was out of sight even if JJ could feel the odd lump it made against her lower back.

"Say hi Momma." Garcia turned the camera to get Emily's reaction, having had nothing but non stop focus on JJ and the little bit of Abby that could be seen through the top flap of the sling.

"Jennifer?" Brown eyes widened the further into the room JJ moved. "Abby..." The brunette's voice dissolved into a broken whisper, her body pushing up in an automatic response, but obviously as pain flooded her system the older woman remembered to use the function of the bed to push her up into a better position to be able to see her more than welcome visitors. "Are you supposed to..." Emily shook her head. "Of course you are you wouldn't have..." She stopped babbling. "Can I see?"

"I'm on my way." JJ had to be very conscious not to walk to fast in order to ensure her precious cargo was kept as comfortable as she could, but soon she reached the edge of the bed and moved so that Emily could get a similar view to the one she had when she looked down into the pouch. "She's such a you, she said she wasn't going back into that box until she got to visit her Mother."

Emily looked down at the soft pink and white owl pint hat and fit was fitted snugly over the tiny baby's head, tears filling her brown eyes, as she noticed five little fingers splayed out across JJ's abdomen, a tiny nose pressed into her belly, pressing the lines of tubes against the blonde's skin.

"The nurse said she's only seen a few who cuddled in as fast as she did." JJ beamed as she watched Emily studying and memorizing in the way only her complicated brain could every nuance of the baby. "She says it's not scientific but it's a great sign she's going to make a fast recovery."

"Can I..." Emily stopped and seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"Of course you can." JJ encouraged her, moving one of the hands she had cradled around the outside of the carrier and gently took Emily's guiding it closer. "You can reach her better than you can in the incubator." She led the brunette all the way until her whole palm was pressed against Abby's back and neck. "She how warm she is, she loves in it here."

The tears that had filled Emily's eyes didn't stand a chance of staying within the confines of them as her palm fitted against the tiny life nestled against Jennifer's body. Sliding silently down the brunette's cheeks Emily let them fall unchecked as she inched her body just a little closer, not moving her hand but bringing her face closer to rest near JJ's shoulder.

Whispering something to the miniature infant in Italian the brunette closed her eyes and turned, pressing her lips against JJ's neck.

"Mia'moria."

"She's real Emily, she's alive and she's going to be fine." JJ whispered back knowing in a way someone that the brunette had been doubting all of her senses because of the trauma surrounding her birth. She knew that Emily's brain would rather think it had gone crazy then dare to believe things had turned out okay.

"Okay I cant video this if I'm crying this hard." Garcia lowered her camera. "I promised to get the whole thing, but I'm taking five." She shook her head flapping her hands. "If you have to get her back before I return, I'll video edit and ending." The analyst turned and scurried out of the room, even making Emily glance up from her reverie to look after her with a slight amount of confusion and concern.

"Did we break Pen?" She asked her voice soft.

"I think so, sometime between getting Abby into the sling and Penelope realizing that the couple she always wanted together was a couple and said tiny cuties mother and kangaroo, she started fraying at the edges." JJ filled the brunette in with a soft laugh.

Emily's eyes soon came off the door way and back to her daughter, who adjusted herself a little against JJ's body, stretching out one of her little legs as far as it would go across JJ's abdomen, before giving a little poke kick to see how much room she had to flex.

"She does that every so often, I bet she used to do that before she was born." JJ watched both Emily and the baby at the same time.

"She did." A smile crossed Emily's brow as she moved her hand just a little to feel a little more of the child's movement. "I can't believe how warm she is in there." The brunette admitted trailing a finger tip over warm skin. "Thank you." She lifted brown eyes up from the small pouch and looked into blue. "You have no idea how much this means." She eased her hand free and then lightly moved the swaddling blanket that all but obscured Abby's face. "No idea at all." She traced her finger over a pink cheek.

"I have a little idea." JJ shook her head very softly. "But trust me, getting to be the kangaroo is thanks enough." She admitted the easy balance. "Do you believe she's real yet?" She asked softly now that Garcia and the camera weren't in the room.

"Barely." Emily admitted, her finger tracing over the line of Abby's eyebrow and nose oh so softly. "And I'm really not sure I had anything to do with creating something that... that..."

"Perfect." JJ filled in the word, her own voice thick with emotion considering how overwhelming the moment was. "And of course you did, only perfect can make perfect Em."

"She has to go back doesn't she?" Emily eased her hand back and tucked the blanket back in place, moving her hand to slide under the pouch and cradle it as JJ's had been when she walked in.

"She does but the good news is she gets another trip in a few hours, and each one gets to be a little longer and a little more frequent as long as she keeps enjoying them." JJ reassured her. "Dr. Monkton is even hopeful in a few days you'll be well enough and so will she to bring her in here and have her put onto a chest sling they can have you wear in bed for a bit."

"Me?" Emily seemed a little both surprised and worried. "JJ you know how clumsy I am." The brunette's eyes widened a little. "I..." She flustered slightly.

"Trust me Em, you might not be able to walk across a room some days but sitting there with her cradled against you, you'll be fine." JJ reassured her. "And I'll be there the whole time, we'll make sure you don't take a header out of bed."

"Just catch Abby, let me fall." Emily made the point clear a soft smile creeping onto her lips. "What if she doesn't like me as much as she obviously likes you?" The brunette pointed out.

"Stop inventing things to worry about Prentiss." JJ leaned and kissed the top of the brunette's head. "You're her mother, trust me I might be loved I hope, but you will always be number one."

"I don't know she was in a hurry to get out." Emily made the gentle joke stroking her hand over the soft pink material gently. "You should go before I just grab you both and run, well waddle towards the exit."

"I'll come back when they get her settled." JJ gave a soft nod, moving to cradle her hands again around the sling. "See you later Momma."

"See you soon Sweetest thing." Emily leaned in and kissed the tiny owl print hat and then almost expectantly kissed JJ lips softly before easing back. "You too Kanga."

-x-

"I'm going to edit it into an entire documentary, I'm thinking of calling it Baby Princess..." Garcia closed the viewer on the camera having shown Emily the full footage of Abby being put into the sling and her trip first around the baby unit and then down the hallway to see her mother. "Or Princess Prentiss Takes the world by storm. I'm working on a title."

Emily laughed softly and looked at her friend, trying hard not to cry, again.

"I like Princess Prentiss Vs The World, how about that? Make is soundly more of a Sci-fi comedy than a drama." She offered finally having to wipe the tears from her eyes in order to not have them spill over onto her cheeks.

"I like it, it'll look great on the T-Shirts." Penelope grinned at her, reaching to pluck a tissue from the box and dab it on Emily's cheek. "Just for the record, I like soppy, happy Prentiss."

"I can't do anything without crying." Emily shook her head. "I watched Pet Spot light on the news this morning and cried."

"Pet Spot Light always makes me cry, I want to adopt them all." Penelope gushed with a grin. "It's okay, you can blame it on the hormones, I have no excuse."

"You don't need one, you're Penelope and perfect the way you are." Emily shook her head. "I expect different things from me."

"Mmmm really, you don't expect yourself to leak a little salt water when you get the scare of your life, then get the greatest gift of your life and THEN..." She added quickly. "Also find out the thing you wanted most in your life wants you back?"

"Still processing that Garcia." Emily admitted arching a still somehow perfect eyebrow.

"Just say thank you Garcia, and I will say you don't have to thank me, I didn't do anything really, I'm just that indispensable character in the story who finally helps the leads see deep into their hearts to understand what they really want." She grinned even more.

"In that case thank you Garcia." Emily grinned back shaking her head at the bubble blonde as she reached out and actually took Penelope's hand in her own. "I'm waiting for the bubble to burst if I'm honest." She admitted, her long fingers closing around the analysts hand gently. "But until it does, thank you"

"Oh Sweetheart, not everything has a bad ending." Garcia squeezed back the hand that held hers. "You haven't seen JJ watching you sleep, or watching Abby through the viewing glass, or heard her spinning long tales to Doctor's about your relationship to get into surgical rooms she had no real business being in. There is nothing to burst, if anything the whole 'we're just friends' bubble finally took a direct hit that JJ couldn't deny anymore." She saw Emily's slight disbelief still looking back at her. "And before you think you know what happened, I didn't tell her anything of what you told me when you moved to England, not a word. I just called JJ on how JJ was acting and for once, a total mark that in the calender day for profilers, she didn't deny it, she just asked me what she was supposed to do because she didn't want to hurt you."

"Everyone needs a Garcia." Emily shook her head softly and rubbed her thumb against the blonde's hand. "Thank you." She said the words again, underlining them with a deep hearted sincerity. "You've always been there for me, and I know you will be for me in the future, Abby too." She acknowledged. "We're luckier than we know."

"Darn tooting." Garcia grinned at her. "But just to throw it out there, if there isn't some official person who has to be Godmother, I am very qualified for the job, especially since JJ is already Kangaroo." She winked at Prentiss.

"Well you're already Henry's god mother, I don't want to over load you with god children." Emily smiled softly at her.

"Princess, do you think there is every too many God children?" Penelope looked at her curiously. "Besides I have a little Prince, now I need a Princess."

"I should probably check with the father." Emily gave a quick eye roll. "As soon as she gets the pouch off." The eye roll morphing into a grin.

"Did she show you the chocolate cigar I got her? I got her a whole box for when the team gets back from Ohio to hand them out. Well I got real ones for Rossi and Hotch." She gave a soft laugh.

"Show me? I had to stop her from eating it. It nearly succumbed to a 3am snack attack, thankfully for it, the rustling of foil is one of my failings, I can't sleep through odd noises. I'm glad the balloons are as far away from the bed as they are." She laughed softly. "I've had to hide the cigar for it's own safety."

-x-

"Hey there girl, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to call you, this case is..." Morgan's voice on the other end of the line sounded tired and apologetic as JJ had been forced to delay her return to Emily to answer her phone. "Isn't important right now as I've finally found ten minutes to catch up." He took a breath. "My baby girl has sent us all pictures, is she as amazing as she looks? Is Emily okay, the surgery worked?"

"Emily is recovering, as long as there is no more bleeding in the next few days she should make a full recovery." JJ started out with the last question first. "And Abigail, oh Morgan she's gorgeous, prepare to lose your heart to another Prentiss beauty if you haven't all ready."

"Well believe me right now I'm clinging to anything good and positive and seeing that tiny little life when I open up my phone is keeping me going, you can tell Prentiss from me, her daughter's already a pin-up girl, she's the lockout screen on my phone right now." Morgan replied honestly. "So she's good? Getting stronger? Have they given you any idea how long she's going to need incubator care? Have her lungs stabilized and what about her feeding?"

"She is good, getting stronger by the minute, they've even let me take her out in a special Kangaroo sling but you'll be getting that video by tonight so make popcorn." JJ smiled as she heard the enthusiasm in Morgan's voice. "Hopefully she won't have to be in the incubator longer than two weeks, her lungs are stabilizing but they're going to need time and of course she needs to put some weight on but doesn't every baby, especially pre-meeies."

"Hey that's great, book me in for some pouch time when I get back, she needs a little chocolate Adonis early in life." Morgan, who sounded a little more than educated about it all instantly put in.

"We all do." JJ assured him. "Oh and Morgan, totally other track mind but I've had something rolling around in my head since I got back. The profile didn't make sense, the unsub always seems to be a step ahead of everyone, what if one of your stonewalling officers or an influential member of the community is covering up or at least running interference for them. Maybe a family member, likely a sibling or child?"

"Hey, good call, how have you had the brain power to think anything other than Emily and baby?" Morgan sounded genuinely impressed. "I'll put it to the team and we'll take a good look at everyone, and if you can refocus a certain technical goddess maybe she can do a few background checks for us." He made the joke softly.

"I'll get Garcia on her laptop, she has it here at the hospital." JJ assured him. "And you know how it is Morgan, you focus on something else and it just pops into our head."

"Thanks JJ. You give everyone our love, and take some time to look after yourself. Have you been home? Seen Henry?" Morgan checked.

"Not yet, it's been a crazy rush since I got in yesterday. I'm picking him up later after school." She filled in softly. "Tell the team to stay safe."

"You got it. We'll be home soon, you give that tiny baby girl a hug from me and tell her she's got the biggest, best team routing for her." Morgan's smile could be heard in his words.

-x-

JJ came back into Emily's room having already been able to refocus Garcia onto the team's needs carrying two extra large coffee's from the downstairs specialty cafe.

"I thought you'd be going through withdrawal by now." She wiggled the take out cup at the brunette.

"I am, you are a wonder, thank you." The brunette was sat up with the help of the bed, but she was looking incredibly tired, her hair pulled back into a tight pony tail did nothing to soften the tight lines of tiredness on her face, or the shadows of darkness under her cheeks and eyes. "Come sit." She patted the bed.

"You're exhausted Emily, why aren't you trying to get some sleep?" JJ did moved up to sit on the edge of the bed, putting the cups down on the bed tray. "And don't tell me it's the middle of the day, this is the one place where having a nap is encouraged."

"Okay I wont tell you that, I'll say I was waiting for my beautiful girlfriend to come back." Emily replied and then paused. "Is it okay to call you that?" She checked hesitantly this time.

"Yes, I think I'd be disappointed if I didn't get that title right away." JJ gave her a gentle appreciative smile. "As long as you don't mind me calling you my beautiful girlfriend?" She checked in turn.

"I don't, might take a little while to get used to." Emily admitted with a smile too. "But I don't have a problem with it, if it's how you feel."

"Em..." JJ slid up closer and put one hand on the bedclothes over the brunette's leg. "Do you remember the first time I met you? You were wearing a short tailored black suit, a white button down, it was the only time I think since I have ever seen you look so nervous and out of place, because you wanted so much to be in the BAU, you wanted the chance to prove you were the right fit." She rubbed her hand in a small circle in the spot where she'd rested it. "And I was hoping you weren't that good a profiler yet, because you took my breath away and I know I must have seemed distracted or aloof."

"You were professional and as welcoming as you could be." Emily recalled. "No one was expecting me, and I wasn't anything like Elle, I knew that much from what I'd read up about her." The brunette filled in. "I was also too distracted by your eyes to be at all worried about your reaction to me." She added with a smile. "You do have the most amazing blue eyes I think I have ever seen." Emily rolled her eyes softly as she moved her hand and placed it over the blonde's. "I get lost in them."

"We've spent so long hiding Em, both of us, I honestly don't want to anymore. I don't just want you to know how important you are to me, that I would do anything to keep you safe, I want you to understand that the reason why isn't just because you're my friend, even though you are. It's because I love you, want you, would do anything just to see you smile." JJ tried to express what she'd been burying down for so long now.

"I have to tell you something Jennifer, and it's not going to be easy." Emily looked away from the blonde a frown crossing her face as she looked down at the floor.

"You can tell me anything." JJ tried to reassure her, not sure how her revelation had brought a frown to Emily's face.

"You're the reason I left." Emily made the revelation softly. "The BAU, Washington." She licked her lips and closed her eyes softly.

JJ took a breath as if she'd been punched in the gut. If she was honest she'd always had a suspicion that her marriage to Will had been the reason that Emily had taken the London job, but a bigger part of her ego had always told her not to be so ridiculous. Emily had been offered a fabulous job, the chance for advancement and she would have been crazy not to take it.

"I'm sorry." The regretful words slipped out of her mouth immediately with the push out of air.

"Don't be." Emily shook her head instantly but her words were a little belied by the fact she pulled her hand off the one she had been resting over JJ's. "You were doing what was right for you, for Henry..." She kept her eyes diverted. "And the move made sense for my career, and it's not like things had been the same here since Doyle." The muscles in the black haired beauty's jaw flexed and tensed. "I didn't have a place here anymore."

"Okay we have to stop this." JJ slipped closer still. "The past, the choices we've both made, they have all led up to this moment and right now, right now Emily..." She reached up to put her fingers on the brunette's chin to urge her to look back at her. "For the first time in my life, I'm not hiding anymore. Not from who I am, or what I feel, not from you. That's all I ask of you, please..."

Despite any pain the move might make her feel Emily just pushed forward pressing her lips and body to the blonde's, moving her arm around the small woman as she pressed their upper bodies together a little, making the kiss stronger. JJ let her arms slipped in turn around Emily's body, holding her as tightly as she dared as she kissed her back. It was as if the moment their lips touched she had stepped off of a cliff, her stomach dropping but the feeling wasn't unpleasant, in fact it filled her with a sense like she was flying.

Easing back, just her head a little Emily blinked the stars from her eyes as she licked the taste of JJ's lips from her own, bringing the blonde's blue eyes into focus.

"I can do that, well I can try." Emily offered. "I'm not always easy to get through too." She admitted with a soft smile. "But I've never been this motivated before." She leaned and pressed her lips against the blonde's again.

"I have to try too, I know that." JJ admitted peppering Emily's lips with kisses.

"Can I ask a really ridiculous question?" Emily reached the hand that wasn't around JJ's body up and curled it in blonde hair, tucking the soft strands around the profiler's ear.

"Of course you can." JJ's head tilted into the touch, it sending a shiver down her spine.

"Your Dallas detective, was she a tall dark eyed brunette with a perchance for big boots?" Emily smirked.

"Yes, yes Ash is a tall, with dark hair and dark eyes, and she does wear some very big boots." JJ blushed softly.

"Ahhh." Emily repeated the motion of her hand smiling at both the revelation and the blush that coloured the blonde's cheeks. "Hope you got her name right." Emily leaned in and whispered the words into JJ's ear, grinning widely as she pressed a kiss to the base of the sensitive organ.

"Emily." JJ groaned at the name ever so softly as her body arched closer to the brunette.

"I took a gorgeous blue eyed blonde home once..." Emily pulled JJ closer as her body arched. "I didn't get her name right." She revealed her words a whisper as she pressed another kiss to the sensitive skin.

"Serves her right for touching my Emily." JJ's voice showed the instant desire the long wanted attention was causing to bubble up within her.

A soft chuckle slipped from Emily's lips as she kissed the skin a little lower down JJ's neck, her hand spreading out over the blonde's back.

"We never got to have a second date, I'm not sure why."

"I promise we're having a second date." The blonde threaded one hand into brunette hair causing the ponytail to loosen. "This first one has been pretty memorable."

"If you want it to carry on, you could scoot up here beside me more, there's a video I think you'd like to watch." Emily shifted slightly to look into blue, easing her hand behind her head to pull the tie out of her hair causing a cascade of black locks to tumble over her shoulders, back and chest.

"Video?" JJ quirked an eyebrow playfully and turned her body to snuggle up beside the brunette, her slim form finding more than enough room to do so without squishing Emily or risking making her stomach uncomfortable.

Emily moved the bed tray over, one-handedly pulling open the laptop Garcia had left for her, quickly keying up the video the bubbly blonde had edited of Abby's first outing.

"I know you haven't seen yourself yet superstar." She teased the blonde softly leaning back into the support and comfort of the bed, all the movement beginning to remind her of the pain, weakness and soreness in her body. "Would you press play when you're ready."

"How about you get comfy first?" JJ moved her arm around Emily's body, offering her the chance to snuggle in a way that would accommodate what the brunette's body needed so that not only would the blonde get to watch the video but also get to cuddle her 'girlfriend' in a way she'd dreamed about for a long time.

Emily glanced at the blonde for a moment, but then shifted on the bed leaning herself against JJ possibly far more than the blonde had expected, she actually slipped lower in the bed, turned on her side slightly and fully leaned against JJ's side, wrapping her free hand around and under her stomach to support it, nestling her head into the crook of the blonde's neck and chest, tucking her other arm between there bodies to rest under her head against JJ's skin.

"Okay?" She asked softly.

"Perfect." JJ acknowledged with a soft but bright smile, clearly enjoying the comfortable and close way that Emily had curled into her. "I always wondered if you were secretly a snuggler."

"You tell anyone and I might have to rethink everything." Emily chuckled softly smoothing her head against JJ's body.

"Your secret is safe with me." JJ reassured her and then positioned the camera, hitting play.

-x-


End file.
